When will Darick Hall return to Phillies lineup this season?

After Rhys Hoskins tore his ACL in a freak Spring Training injury, all eyes turned to Darick Hall, a part-time player last year who suddenly found himself as the Philadelphia Phillies’ full-time starting first baseman.

At least, he was for all of six regular-season games, until he suffered an injury of his own — a tear of the UCL in his right thumb that he suffered at Yankee Stadium last week. Hall was quickly put on the injured list, but it was unclear just what the timeline looked like for a return to action. On Wednesday we got a better idea.

Darick Hall injury update

May 24 Update: Phillies manager Rob Thomson said that Hall is nearing the stage where he can start a rehab assignment. There is hope that he will be ready to get back into major league games by early June.

It turns out that Hall’s thumb did indeed require surgery, and that surgery will keep him out for a while.

Philly has turned to Kody Clemens and normal third baseman Alec Bohm to handle the cold corner in Hall’s stead, and that’s likely to continue based on the pitching matchup. Given everything that the Phillies lineup has been through so far this year, the team will really need Aaron Nola, Zack Wheeler and Co. to step up and carry them through the first part of the season — at least until Hall and Bryce Harper have a chance to return.

A 14th-round pick out of Dallas Baptist University in the 2016 MLB Draft, Hall was a development success story for the Phils, breaking out in Triple-A last year after looking like he’d top out as a career Minor Leaguer. He made his MLB debut on June 29 and made the most of limited opportunities — largely as the DH against righties — posting a .522 slugging percentage with nine homers in 41 games.