Philadelphia Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski has delivered a pointed warning to shortstop Trea Turner: improve defensively or face a position change. Turner, 33, is owed the remaining seven years of his $300 million contract, but he has roughly until spring training to get his defense in order and keep his job as the team's starting shortstop.
Turner had perhaps the worst season of his career, hitting .242 with a .675 OPS and a league-worst 21 errors at shortstop. Dombrowski said he and Turner met Tuesday at Citizens Bank Park to discuss the changes needed in the field and at the plate. "He knows he has to be better at shortstop," Dombrowski said. "You cannot play shortstop like you did defensively in '26 going to '27." Turner went 1-for-11 in the playoffs as the Phillies lost in three games to the Atlanta Braves in the NL wild-card series, and he took responsibility for the team's latest postseason failure.
The outfield is a possibility. The Phillies have question marks there after Brandon Marsh collapsed in the second half, hitting .183 with a .490 OPS, and Luis Arraez, a free agent unlikely to return, played right field. Dombrowski said Turner prefers the infield but is a good athlete who can adjust.
The Phillies also have infield options, including Bryson Stott, who could move to shortstop, and top prospects Aidan Miller and Bryan Rincon, whom Dombrowski praised. The team expects Turner to regain the form he showed in 2025, when he led the NL in hitting with only eight errors.
Source: ESPN MLB · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing