The Philadelphia Phillies are one win away from securing their second series sweep of the 2026 MLB season.
Philadelphia will wrap up its three-game series against the Athletics with a 6:40 p.m. EST first pitch, looking to continue a dramatic turnaround that has followed a recent managerial change.
Since Don Mattingly stepped in as interim manager after Rob Thomson was dismissed, the Phillies have caught fire. They have won eight of their last nine games, with elite starting pitching leading the charge. Over that stretch, the rotation has ranked among the top three teams in baseball in nearly every major category, including ERA, FIP, fWAR, innings pitched, strikeouts, WHIP, and batting average against.
While the pitching staff has dominated and several hitters have begun to find their rhythm, third baseman Alec Bohm remains stuck in a prolonged slump.
That continued Wednesday night when Bohm was left out of the starting lineup against the Athletics, with Edmundo Sosa getting the nod at third base. The move followed a notable moment the night before, when Bohm was pinch-hit for late in a close game—something that had never happened in his career outside of injury situations or blowouts.
The decision is supported by troubling production at the plate. Bohm currently ranks 177th out of 178 qualified hitters in OPS and is posting the worst numbers of his career. Through 126 at-bats, he has managed just 20 hits, four of them for extra bases, along with 15 RBIs. His batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and OPS all rank near the bottom of the league.
Earlier in the week, Mattingly had voiced confidence in Bohm, pointing to his history as a productive hitter and noting that slow starts have been part of his career before. Despite that public backing, the decision to sit him suggests the organization is growing more concerned.
As the struggles continue, trade speculation around Bohm has intensified. The 29-year-old is playing on a one-year, $10.2 million deal after avoiding arbitration this offseason, and analysts have increasingly labeled him a potential trade candidate ahead of the deadline. Some view a move as a classic “change of scenery” scenario rather than a long-term fit in Philadelphia.
Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski has already acknowledged that trade discussions across the league are heating up. While the team’s recent surge has cooled talk of a full teardown, Bohm has emerged as the most obvious piece the Phillies could move if they decide to shake up the roster.
With Bohm sitting out against the Athletics, a defining moment appears to be approaching. Whether the Phillies choose to send him to Triple-A, explore trade options, or ultimately move on, a decision on his future with the organization seems imminent.