PHILADELPHIA -- There are slumps in baseball. Then there are the kinds of slumps that force an organization to stop pretending everything is fine.
The Phillies reached that point with Alec Bohm this week.
For the second consecutive game, Bohm was absent from the starting lineup Friday as the Phillies opened a weekend series against the Rockies at Citizens Bank Park. And this time, interim manager Don Mattingly made clear the decision was intentional long before Thursday’s game even began.
“We knew yesterday,” Mattingly said Friday. “I just didn’t really want to say it. I wanted him to just do nothing yesterday, for the most part, and today get back into the groove and get some work in. He’ll be good to go tomorrow.”
That quote may have been the most revealing statement the Phillies have made about Bohm all season.
Because this is no longer a simple cold streak. This is an organizational intervention.
The Phillies are trying to mentally and mechanically reset one of the most important hitters in their lineup before the situation spirals any further.
Bohm entered the weekend mired in one of the worst stretches of his career, hitting just .159 with one home run through his first 126 at-bats. For a player expected to stabilize the middle of the lineup behind Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber, the production collapse has become impossible to ignore.
And lately, the at-bats have looked exactly like what they are: a hitter searching for answers in real time.
The timing has been off. The confidence has looked shaken. Even the quality contact Bohm occasionally produces has not consistently translated into results. Every swing has carried the tension of a player trying to force his way out of trouble.
That is why the Phillies essentially shut him down Thursday.
Mattingly admitted he wanted Bohm to completely step away for a day rather than continue the endless cycle of extra work and overthinking that often traps struggling hitters.
Then came Friday.
Bohm returned to the field for extended batting practice while Mattingly watched from the outfield, searching for signs that the hitter who became an All-Star in 2024 was still somewhere underneath the frustration.
“He felt good about it,” Mattingly said. “The ball came off good. But it’s not the first time, right? He’s been out here working and trying to figure this thing out. He’s going to be fine.”
That last sentence matters.
Not because the Phillies suddenly believe Bohm is fixed. Nobody inside the organization is pretending this slump disappears overnight. But the club still believes the player exists beneath the struggles.
And realistically, they need him to.
The Phillies have shown signs of life since Mattingly took over as interim manager. The energy has improved. The offense had begun looking cleaner before Thursday night’s 12-1 collapse against the Athletics. The club had won four straight entering that game.
But even during the recent turnaround, Bohm remained one of the few core hitters who never fully joined it.
That changes the complexion of the lineup.
When Bohm is right, he gives the Phillies balance. He lengthens innings. He puts pressure on opposing pitching staffs because he consistently makes contact and drives in runs. He is not built around feast-or-famine power. His value comes from steadiness.
Right now, none of that steadiness exists.
And perhaps the most concerning part for the Phillies is that Bohm has not lacked effort.
If anything, Mattingly’s comments suggest the opposite problem.
Bohm has been grinding constantly behind the scenes, taking extra swings, searching mechanically, trying to think his way back into rhythm. But baseball has a brutal way of punishing hitters who push too hard. Sometimes the harder players search for solutions, the further they drift from themselves.
So now the Phillies are attempting something simpler.
Slow him down.
Clear his head.
Take him away from the lineup long enough to breathe again.
Because at this point, this is not only about fixing Alec Bohm’s swing.
It is about restoring one of the emotional and offensive pillars of a team still trying to convince itself it can become a legitimate October threat again.
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