The Philadelphia Phillies, just as they were in the early weeks of this summer, are hot. They won their ninth straight game on Sunday in dramatic fashion over the St. Louis Cardinals, 6-4, after they were down by four runs with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, before losing their series opener to the Seattle Mariners.It looks like things are coalescing for them at the right time of the season, with the Major League Baseball playoffs roughly six weeks away. Philadelphia's offense has come alive, and even its pitching has looked a little better of late.But shortstop Trea Turner hasn't contributed a whole lot to this winning streak. He went hitless in four at-bats on Monday, and he has had just two runs batted in through his last 12 games.In a recently published Bleacher Report article, Kerry Miller named Major League Baseball's 10 biggest disappointments this season, and Turner was one of his honorable mentions, due to the drop on both offense and defense."He has 17 home runs and 17 stolen bases, but he's nowhere near the consistent hitter that he used to be," Miller wrote. "And after putting forth a great season with his glove in 2025, he has been one of the worst defensive shortstops in 2026."Trea Turner isn't what he used to beAug 18, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Trea Turner (7) looks on against the Miami Marlins at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectJust last season, Turner led the National League with a .304 batting average while also posting an .812 OPS. He made the All-Star team as recently as 2024, and in 2022, the year before he came to Philly, he had 100 RBIs and 21 home runs as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers.But this year, Turner's batting average is at .243. While it seemed like he was perking up in July with a .287 average, 15 RBIs and seven homers, his batting average so far in August is an anemic .220. Even worse, he's tied for the most errors in the majors this year with 20.He has been criticized in the past for not being a reliable hitter in high-leverage situations, although he was a significant contributor when the Washington Nationals won the World Series championship in 2019. But at age 33, perhaps he's now on the downslope portion of his career.Don Mattingly doesn't seem concerned about TurnerAug 13, 2026; Dyersville, Iowa, USA; Philadelphia Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly (8) meets with the media before their game with the Minnesota Twins at the Field of Dreams. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectOn Saturday, Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly talked about Turner's approach, per Colin Newby, and he seemed to be OK with how Turner has been doing things.“We haven't really talked about getting him in the zone,” Mattingly said. “We've really talked just about sticking with the game plan, being aggressive to that, and until you have to get outside of that. So that leads to like swinging at what you want, not just anything. I think Trea's always been a little bit of chase. When he's not feeling good, there's more chase. When he's feeling good, there's less chase. And so usually it goes with how he's feeling up there at that point.”Don Mattingly had another very candid answer about plate approach for Trea Turner, who took batting practice in front of the manager on the field today.“When he’s not feeling good, there’s more chase. When he’s feeling good, there’s less chase." pic.twitter.com/Q8xtyiRHUw— Colin Newby (@ToNewbyginnings) August 22, 2026With all the potential landmines out there, including the Atlanta Braves, who remain in first place in the National League East, and especially the two-time defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia is going to need something from Turner the rest of the way.It cannot afford to have him be a dead weight, whether he's failing to produce at the plate or on defense. The three-time All-Star will, at times, have to step into the Wayback Machine if the Phillies are going to win their first World Series title since 2008.Sign up for our free newsletter to receive the latest news and updates!Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow