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In news that isn’t totally unexpected, Andrew McCutchen is lost for the season.
Andrew McCutchen done for season. ACL injury.
— Jim Salisbury (@JSalisburyNBCS) June 4, 2019
McCutchen has been in the midst of a season that at least had him in the conversation for a spot on the All Star team in the very crowded National League outfield, but that will not happen. He and his NL leading .378 on base percentage will have to wait until 2020 to begin again.
Andrew McCutchen said he hopes to be ready by Opening Day 2020. “It’s a sucky dynamic,” he said. “It’s not the news I wanted to hear.” He said he is confident he can be the same player next season because of advancements in medicine since he tore his other ACL in high school.
— Todd Zolecki (@ToddZolecki) June 4, 2019
The Phillies, which boasted some enviable outfield depth when the season began, are now down to Bryce Harper as one of the original players that they had planned on having. While we can’t assume that Matt Klentak has the gift of Jedi foresight, his recent trade machinations are about to pay dividends.
Brutal blow for the Phillies as Andrew McCutchen is out for the season with a torn ACL. He'd been excellent. Certainly the Phillies didn't expect Jay Bruce to see a lot of playing time, but the foresight in dealing for depth was a smart move by the front office.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) June 4, 2019
While we can expect some different combinations to happen in the outfield, it seems that Adam Haseley will begin to get some regular playing time since he is the only player on the 25 man roster who is a natural centerfielder. Gabe Kapler confirmed as much in discussing the injury to McCutchen.
“Adam Haseley is going to have a chance to play regularly,” Gabe Kapler said. Most reps in CF. Jay Bruce is the LF. Scott Kingery at 3B most nights. Not set in stone.
— Matt Gelb (@MattGelb) June 4, 2019
It is not a death knell to the Phillies’ season by any stretch of the imagination, but man did it surely make it a whole lot harder. Players like Harper, Rhys Hoskins and Jean Segura really need to step it up. We’ll have more here at The Good Phight analyzing what comes next for the Phillies in the coming weeks, but for now, let’s all send some positive vibes to ‘Cutch.