The Philadelphia Phillies wrapped up May on a sour note, getting swept by the Milwaukee Brewers. They’ll look to bounce back Tuesday when they take on the Toronto Blue Jays, currently trailing the New York Mets by one game in the NL East. While the team’s defense has seen its share of inconsistencies, manager Rob Thomson remains optimistic about the strides they’ve made. He highlighted shortstop Trea Turner’s progress in an interview with The Athletic‘s Matt Gelb on Sunday.
“I can’t really quantify it,” Thomson told Gelb. “But we’ve played well at times. We’ve definitely made progress since last year, and Trea’s been much better this season compared to 2024. He’s continuing to improve. The last couple of games might make things look worse than they really are.”
Turner’s defense has long drawn skepticism, with advanced metrics consistently rating him near the bottom of the league. But in 2025, the Phillies have emphasized improved defense across the board—and Turner has responded to that challenge. With their goals still within reach, the question now is whether Philadelphia can snap out of this skid and regain momentum, starting with their series in Toronto.
Can Trea Turner, Phillies win NL East once again?
One game doesn’t mean much — any sports fan knows how quickly things can change. If the Mets drop their next two games and the Phillies win theirs, suddenly Philadelphia is atop the NL East. The team understands that nothing is guaranteed, especially with June just beginning and about six weeks to go until the season hits its halfway point. There’s still plenty of time for the standings to shift dramatically.
If the Phillies’ defense can return to the strong form it was showing earlier, their upcoming series in Toronto — and beyond — should be more manageable. The Blue Jays are locked in a tough AL East battle currently led by the Yankees, so Turner and the Phillies will need to stay sharp at Rogers Centre. The teams that master the fundamentals are usually the ones contending for titles, and that’s exactly where Philadelphia hopes to be again.