Ex-player wants Phillies to make urgent Trea Turner change

The 2026 season has been a rollercoaster of an experience for the Philadelphia Phillies. The team got off to an incredibly slow start, which led to the firing of Rob Thomson. The team’s big-name batters weren’t living up to their star-level potential, either. However, since Don Mattingly stepped up as the interim manager, the team has been red hot. They are now back up to .500 and back in the National League East race.

Still, things are not perfect, and changes need to continue being made. Cliff Lloyd thinks one lineup change that needs to happen is to move Trea Turner out of the leadoff spot.

“He is such an elite player,” Lloyd prefaced. “I know he is 32 years of age, and he is getting up there a little bit, just as far as what he does as far as what his speed [is]. Trea Turner is not a leadoff guy for me. Why I say that is [because] when he has been productive, when you look at the Dodgers years, when he was there, he hit second. He is a guy who is going to give you power and is going to give you slug.”

.@CliffFloyd30 thinks the Phillies should move Trea Turner out of the leadoff spot and have Kyle Schwarber, Brandon Marsh or Bryson Stott hit first.#MLBCentral pic.twitter.com/YiMehQrhF8

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) May 26, 2026

Turner is still mighty talented, but he is in the midst of a down season. The shortstop is batting just .221, which is far and away a career low. A move out of the top of the lineup could get Turner back on track. Lloyd believes Turner should bat second and be replaced atop the order by Justin Crawford, Kyle Schwarber, Brandon Marsh, or Bryson Stott.

“You’ve got Trae overthinking by trying to utilize his speed,” Lloyd continued. “Just because he is fast don’t mean that he has to lead off. I think he is more of a rhythm type player.”

Extra stresses come with hitting leadoff that Lloyd doesn’t think suit Turner’s style. The Phillies have plenty of other options to hit number one, so perhaps a lineup change could be coming sooner rather than later.

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