MILWAUKEE — Left fielder Austin Hays isn't with the Phillies in Milwaukee but will join the team Thursday in New York, where he'll go through a full workout.
The kidney infection that Hays has dealt with this summer and that has sidelined him since September 5 is gone, manager Rob Thomson said Tuesday afternoon.
It's an important development with the Phillies' first playoff game 2½ weeks away.
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"We did some more tests. The infection is gone and he feels great," Thomson said. "He's back to normal.
"Today was the first day that he did high-intensity running because he felt that good. He has not felt good enough to do that until today. Good sign today. We always felt like there was gonna be one day where the antibiotics just work, he wakes up and he's good. That was today."
The best-case scenario for the Phillies would be sending Hays to Triple A for a few days of live at-bats, but Lehigh Valley's season ends on Sunday. If he comes out of Thursday's workout at Citi Field feeling good, a two- or three-day rehab assignment could follow.
"Wouldn't push him, would want to make sure he's healthy and ready to go, but yeah I think there's an advantage if you get him at-bats, see where he's at," Thomson said.
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If time runs out, the Phillies' alternative would be having Hays face live pitching during batting practice. But Thomson said Tuesday that he feels better about the possibility of Hays being on the postseason roster than he did a few days ago.
Hays has been limited to just 19 games and 69 plate appearances with the Phillies since the trade deadline because of the kidney infection and a hamstring injury. He hasn't hit righties but has continued to rake against left-handed pitching as a Phillie. He's batting .350/.402/.538 in 88 plate appearances this season vs. lefties and that's a useful skill to have in October when the Phillies will likely optimize for matchups earlier and more frequently than they did throughout much of the regular season.
Turnbull update
The Phils also hope to get Spencer Turnbull into a game for Lehigh Valley by the end of the week. Turnbull has been out since June 26 with a lat strain. It's been a costly loss as the Phillies have gone through Taijuan Walker, Tyler Phillips, Kolby Allard and Seth Johnson in the No. 5 spot of their rotation before landing back on Walker for Thursday's start.
If Turnbull returns at all this season or postseason, it would be as a reliever. He threw 64 pitches on Tuesday in a simulated game.
"Hopefully we can, by the end of the weekend, get him into a game with Lehigh," Thomson said. "That would be the ultimate (goal)."
Thomson wasn't quite as confident about Turnbull being ready for the start of the playoffs as he was Hays, saying, "I think (Turnbull) still has some more work to do." But the farther the Phillies advance, the more realistic a Turnbull return would become.
Sosa back
Edmundo Sosa was activated from the 10-day injured list Tuesday and started at third base. Alec Bohm had the night off but isn't dealing with any pain in the left hand that kept him out for more than two weeks.
"Just after 15 days off, three straight games, just give him a day," Thomson said.
Bohm is 1-for-8 in his two games back.
"Looks like he needs at-bats," Thomson said. "He's been fine but he just needs reps."
Buddy Kennedy was optioned to Triple A to make room on the active roster for Sosa. Kennedy went 2-for-10 but made his plate appearances count with an eighth-inning RBI single in a close game against the Rays, a game-tying RBI double in the eighth inning against the Mets and a walk that preceded Kody Clemens' walk-off single.
Kennedy endeared himself to his teammates and the fanbase with his clutch hits, everyman demeanor and enthusiasm.
"He took down a couple of really big at-bats for us while he was here," Thomson said. "He's a great guy and everybody just sort of connected with him and he connected with everybody here. He's a really professional, super person. I trust him. Just a roster crunch more than anything."