They just haven’t been willing to start games that way very often.
Maybe it’s time.
With 40 games remaining, a shrinking margin in the National League playoff race and an offense searching for anything that might create a spark, Philadelphia has reached the point where every lineup decision deserves scrutiny.
That includes Alec Bohm.
And it raises a question that would have sounded far more radical a few months ago:
Would the Phillies be better right now with Bohm on the bench, Harper back at first and Hill in right field?
There is a legitimate case that they would.
Start with Harper.
The Phillies moved him back to right field after acquiring Luis Arraez at the trade deadline, triggering a defensive reshuffle that sent Arraez to second base, Bryson Stott to third and Bohm across the diamond to first.
For Harper, it meant returning to the outfield for the first time since April 2022.
There was already some risk involved.
Now there is another variable.
Harper has been dealing with soreness in his left knee, an issue that began before the trade and has become more noticeable with the additional running required in right field. He has continued playing through it, but the Phillies have monitored his workload and occasionally used him at designated hitter or removed him defensively.
That does not mean right field caused the problem.
It does mean the Phillies have to ask whether asking Harper to cover outfield ground while managing a sore knee is worth whatever benefit they are receiving from the lineup configuration.
That leads directly to Bohm.
He enters Thursday hitting .231/.292/.361 with 13 home runs and a .653 OPS.
Those numbers change the equation.
This isn't about giving up on Bohm, who has demonstrated throughout his career that he can hit better than this. His underlying contact numbers also suggest he has deserved somewhat better results; his .305 expected wOBA is higher than his .288 actual wOBA.
But expected production doesn't win games in August.
Actual production does.
And right now, preserving Bohm's place in the starting lineup requires Philadelphia's best player to play a more physically demanding position while managing a knee issue.
That deserves reconsideration.
Especially because Hill has given the Phillies something useful since arriving.
Overall this season, Hill is hitting .233/.287/.421 with nine home runs, 13 stolen bases and a .708 OPS.
Since joining Philadelphia, however, he has been better: .253/.289/.468 with five homers and a .757 OPS in 79 at-bats.
Nobody should confuse those numbers with a breakout superstar.
That isn't the argument.
Hill does not have to become a better hitter than Bohm has been throughout his career. He only has to give Philadelphia more value right now.
And that value extends beyond the batter's box.
Hill has appeared in 44 games in right field this season, including 15 starts, and possesses the kind of speed and range this Phillies roster generally lacks. His sprint speed has been measured at 29.6 feet per second, placing him among baseball's fastest runners.
He has already shown what that athleticism can change.
In June, Hill robbed Juan Soto of a home run at Citi Field. He has stolen 13 bases. He delivered the walk-off single Sunday against Toronto.
Harper himself recently called Hill “a weapon out there,” specifically discussing the benefits of using him defensively while allowing Harper to get off his feet.
That matters.
Because this isn't some theoretical alignment invented on a lineup card.
The Phillies have already considered versions of it.
The question is whether interim manager Don Mattingly should begin using it from the first inning instead of waiting for the late innings.
Imagine the tradeoff.
Harper returns to first, where he has spent the bulk of the last several seasons and where the physical demands are different from chasing balls into the corner.
Hill goes to right, improving the outfield's range and adding another legitimate baserunning threat.
Bohm moves to the bench, where he becomes a right-handed option against favorable matchups or a late-game pinch hitter.
What exactly are the Phillies sacrificing?
At the moment, a .653 OPS.
That doesn't mean Bohm should disappear.
It means playing time no longer needs to be automatic.
This is also where the larger construction of the Phillies lineup matters.
Philadelphia has been struggling to convert baserunners into runs. Too many rallies are ending on ground balls. Too many innings are becoming double plays. Too many established hitters are carrying OPS figures that begin with a six.
Hill isn't a cure for that.
But he changes the roster's texture.
Speed.
Outfield range.
The possibility of taking an extra base.
The threat of stealing one.
Those things become more valuable when an offense isn't consistently bludgeoning opponents with three-run homers.
And there is another benefit that cannot be ignored:
Harper's health.
No lineup decision in August should matter more than ensuring Harper is positioned to remain productive through September and, if the Phillies get there, October.
Philadelphia made the deadline shuffle because it believed getting Arraez into the lineup would make the team better.
Fair enough.
But roster construction isn't a permanent declaration.
It is an ongoing calculation.
Circumstances change.
Performance changes.
Knees start barking.
And with the Phillies fighting for their postseason lives, sentimentality can't dictate who receives 600 plate appearances.
This doesn't have to become a dramatic benching.
Give the alignment a week.
Give Hill starts in right.
Put Harper back at first.
Use Bohm when the matchup makes sense.
See what happens.
Because the Phillies don't need to determine which lineup looks best on paper anymore.
They need to determine which one gives them the best chance to win tonight.
And right now, there is a legitimate argument that the answer begins with Alec Bohm sitting beside Mattingly when the game starts.
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