Rob Thomson knows the Philadelphia Phillies need every player locked in—not just at the start of the season, but all year long. And he delivered that message loud and clear to the second-highest-paid player on the roster before Opening Day.
During a pregame media session, the Phillies manager addressed reporters, including Anthony SanFilippo of On Pattison, and revealed he had set specific expectations for Trea Turner ahead of the 2025 MLB season. He made it clear that home runs weren’t the priority—what he wants to see is Turner getting on base.
“I told him, ‘I don’t care about home runs,’“ Thomson said. “‘We got plenty of guys that can do that. I want you to get on base and .380 is the goal. I want you to steal bases. I want you to get 40. I want you to score 100 runs.‘ If he does that, I don’t care about anything else.”
Turner says he’s mentally ready
Turner said he fully accepted the challenge from Thomson and acknowledged that the game has changed—something he now feels more mentally prepared to handle.
“I’ve finally kind of accepted that the game’s changed,” Turner said. “It’s not how it was when I came up. Guys don’t really want to throw strikes, you know? They go for chase. So, a lot of the things that happened early in my career were, ‘Oh, they don’t want to walk me, because then they’ll have to face Bryce (Harper),’ or they don’t want me to steal a bag.”
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“I just have to accept that they’re willing to do that. I think I had a hard time accepting that in the last four or five years, where when I get to, say, a 3-2 count, I always felt like I should get a pitch to hit. Instead, they’re O.K. with walking you nowadays. That’s kind of been the biggest hurdle for me, and it’s more mental than physical.”
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The Phillies still believe in Turner
Turner’s $300 million deal is the second-largest on the Phillies roster, just behind Bryce Harper’s. Last season, Turner posted just 88 runs in 121 games—his lowest total since joining the team. He also tallied 19 stolen bases and hit .295. Despite the dip, it’s clear that the team, the coaching staff, and his teammates still believe in his ability to bounce back.
