Rhys Hoskins has settled in as a steady, dependable first base option for Fantasy Baseball players over the past few years, but he won't be available for the 2023 season after he suffered a torn ACL during Spring Training action Thursday.
Hoskins was chasing a bouncer hit behind him when he stepped awkwardly and went down, immediately clutching at his left knee. It looked pretty serious when he went down and had to be carted off, and testing later Thursday confirmed the worst-case scenario. And it leaves the Phillies without their starting first baseman -- and the first base position down a top-10 option.
That is probably going to force Darick Hall into an everyday role unless the Phillies look to make a trade, and he's a pretty interesting option for folks in deeper Fantasy leagues to consider. Hall hit .250/.282/.522 in 41 games as a rookie. Between Triple-A and the majors, Hall managed 37 homers, and with a 91.4 mph average exit velocity and 44.6% hard-hit rate that suggests the power is legitimate.
The problem, of course, is that Hall managed a pretty ugly 31% strikeout rate in the majors despite mostly being shielded from left-handed pitching – he struck out seven times in 12 plate appearances against lefties. He struggled against them in Triple-A, too, so it's probably fair to peg Hall as a platoon bat, likely with some combination of Edmundo Sosa and Josh Harrison picking up the tough left-handed pitching assignments.
There probably isn't another in-house option for the Phillies, so Hall is going to get a long look with Hoskins out. There are obvious limitations to his skill set, but he's certainly now relevant in NL-only drafts and probably belongs in the discussion for deeper mixed leagues, too, especially with daily lineups where you can take advantage of his righty mashing without losing too much when he's out of the lineup.
However, this is a team with legitimate championship aspirations that is already missing Bryce Harper for at least the first few months of the season. Which makes a trade possible, if not necessarily likely. Maybe the Rockies want to see what they can get for C.J. Cron, or maybe the Cardinals can clear up a bit of a glut by moving Juan Yepez. Would the Yankees be interested in moving DJ LeMahieu to clear up a roster crunch of their own? There are options out there in the trade market if the Phillies want to pursue it, and you have to think they might with Hoskins out for the season.
If you're looking for a silver lining here, you may not find it on the Phillies roster, but at least first base is a relatively easy position to fill if you're looking for a Hoskins replacement. Sticking solely with players currently being drafted outside of the top 250 on average in FantasyPros.com's consensus ADP, here are a few options to look for on waivers:
- Spencer Torkelson, DET (297.4) – Torkelson was a huge disappointment as a rookie, but he's been drawing better reviews in camp than his .733 OPS might make you think. He's no sure thing, but he's certainly a high-upside option.
- Brandon Belt, TOR (388.5) – Belt may not play everyday for the Blue Jays, coming off a down season that ended with knee surgery. However, he put up a .274/.378/.597 line back in 2021 and just got a massive park upgrade. He's healthy for now, at least.
- Spencer Steer, CIN (442.0) – Steer may just be 3B and CI eligible where you play, but he's a favorite late-round target of mine either way. Prospect hounds don't love him, but he did hit .274/.364/.515 last season between two levels of the minors, and he's playing his home games in arguably the best hitting park in the majors. I think he has a chance to surprise.
- Garrett Cooper, MIA (462.0) – Cooper's injury track record makes it unlikely you'll ever be able to rely on him long-term, but he's hit .274/.350/.444 over the past four seasons combined, including .752 OPS last season. He's not a star, but Cooper is a good bat for as long as he'll be out there.
If you're looking to make a trade, I would primarily be targeting Triston Casas, a top prospect who was decent in his first taste of the majors late last season but who could be a very Hoskins-esque contributor for Fantasy. He's a 23-year-old with huge raw power who hit .281/.389/.500 in the minors a year ago. He's a favorite late-round target of mine, and if he's on waivers in your league for some reason, view him as a must-add.
I also like LeMahieu a lot – he was on a 100-run, near-20-homer pace before his toe injury last season. Miguel Vargas (247.4 ADP) could have fallen through the cracks in some drafts, though there's enough hype around him lately that it might be tough to get him at anything like a discount. I would also be okay taking a flier on Joey Meneses just to see if his .930 OPS in 56 games last season was at all real. I'm betting it wasn't, but if I need upside, I'll take that flier.