Dave Dombrowski can’t take another seven years of watching Trea Turner handle shortstop like he did in 2026 — likely since that would cost him his job.
The Phillies’ top baseball executive issued a stern warning to the regressing $300 million veteran in his first comments since the team’s season ended in a three-game wild-card loss to the Braves.
“From a defensive perspective, we are very clear. He knows he has to be better at shortstop. And I told him that it’s really mandatory that he’s like that,” Dombrowski said Thursday.
“He feels he can play and if he plays shortstop like he did in ’25, he can play shortstop. But if plays it like he did in ’26, he can’t. He totally understands that.”
He also offered a tepid endorsement for Turner being the team’s Opening Day 2027 shortstop.
“At this point, but we’ll see what happens,” he said. “It’s up to him to show us he can do it and we’ll see — we’ll have fallback opportunities and some of them may come back for the young players we have.”
It’s not a good sign that Turner isn’t even halfway through his 11-year, $300 million pact and discussions are already being had about whether he can still handle the the premium defensive infield position.
Dombrowski said he met with Turner face to face to discuss the matter, and his season overall, for several hours earlier this week.
Turner posted negative marks in both outs above average (OAA) and defensive runs saved (DRS) in his first two seasons with the franchise from 2023-24 before making a stark improvement in 2025.
He posted plus-2 DRS and plus-16 OAA marks that year.
That uprise lasted just one season, with Turner regressing to minus-17 DRS and minus-8 OAA metrics this past year while committing 21 errors.
With Turner’s struggles standing out, the Phillies recently dismissed infield coach Bobby Dickerson.
Dombrowski said the team has provided Turner with information they believe can help him, and new third base coach Carlos Mendoza — the former Mets’ skipper — is being tasked with aiding him.
Turner does have experience manning the outfield, but the team is giving him a chance to show that he should remain at shortstop.
“He is very willing to do — if he doesn’t play shortstop — to do what is best for the Philadelphia Phillies organization,” Dombrowski said of the 12-season veteran. “So, that’s how we left it with him and he’s determined to show us he can play it and I said, You have to show it. You cannot play shortstop like he did defensively in ’26 going into ’27.”
Dombrowski praised Turner for owning up to his poor overall season, which also included an uncharacteristic down offensive campaign.
Turner, 33, posted career-lows in batting average (.242), on-base percentage (.297), slugging percentage (.378) and OPT (.675) for any non-rookie season.
He finished fifth in MVP voting in 2025 while logging an .812 OPS.
“Trea does not think he had a good season offensively or defensively. He takes completely accountability on that and is already working on his swing, and I’ve told him to kind of slow down, you don’t have to do it that quickly, make sure he gets with some people,” Dombrowski said.
“I think Trea still has his fast-twitch muscles, he did not have a good year but I think he can bounce back from an offensive perspective, he needs to fix things with his swing.”
