The Philadelphia Phillies‘ quest for a Wild Card spot this season was dealt a major blow on Thursday, as first baseman Rhys Hoskins has elected to undergo surgery for a lower abdominal injury that will end his season.

The news comes as a bitter end to what has been an injury-riddled past couple months for Hoskins. Scott Lauber reported the news via Twitter:

The terrible news comes after Hoskins played only three games after recovering from a separate injury – a groin strain that forced him to spend a stint on the injured list. Clearly, even in his return to action, Hoskins was having trouble moving around first base, and now we have a clear indication as to why that was. Despite his physical ailment showing on defense, he had homered twice in Sunday's victory against the Padres and once on Wednesday in a loss to the Rays.

The slugger was having an amazing 2021 campaign, as he was slashing .247/.334/.530 with 27 home runs, 71 runs batted in, and 29 doubles. His 133 OPS+ along with a 2.2 Baseball-Reference Wins Above Replacement (bWAR) placed him among the elite National League first basemen in terms of offensive production.

Rhys Hoskins' injury means a deathly blow to the Phillies' playoff hopes, as the currently sit at 5.5 games behind the Cincinnati Reds for the second Wild Card spot in the National League with a record of 63-63.

As for the team's roster, it would seem that 1B Brad Miller would be in line for the majority of reps at first base, and he could possibly platoon with right-handed utility man Luke Williams. Top prospect Alec Bohm has also seen some reps at first base following his defensive struggles at his natural third base spot, and could be recalled from the minor leagues to help out as a result as well.

For Hoskins, we all wish a speedy recovery and a great 2022.