3 ice-cold hitters the Phillies need to see more from in June

Even though the Philadelphia Phillies' 19-9 record in May was the best in the National League, the month ended on a sour note. After streaking to the top of the NL East standings on the back of a nine-game winning streak, a four-game losing streak at home to close out the month as the calendar flipped to June put a damper on things, per MLB.com's Paul Casella.

They're still one of the top teams in the league, trailing the New York Mets by just half a game in the division ahead of Wednesday's action, so we're far away from panicking at this point. Despite the strong month results-wise, the Phillies had some freeloaders who spent May riding the coattails of the team's hottest hitters.

While Kyle Schwarber (186 wRC+), Trea Turner (132 wRC+), Alec Bohm (143 wRC+) and Bryce Harper (141 wRC+) carried most of the offensive load through May, they'll inevitably hit slumps at some point. The Phillies will need others to step up and spread out the offensive contributions to keep the winning going.

Phillies need more offense in June from these hitters who struggled in May

So, which Phillies hitters went ice-cold in May? Who do we need to see more from in June as we move into the summer months?

Bryson Stott, 2B

Second baseman Bryson Stott got off to a good start this season. The 27-year-old slashed a very healthy .297/.374/.436 in 27 games through the end of April, and his .357 wOBA was the third-highest on the team.

But then the calendar flipped to May and things went downhill for Stott. He slashed .216/.262/.299 in 25 games. His .252 wOBA was the second-lowest on the team, just edging out Johan Rojas.

Phillies manager Rob Thomson wouldn't call it a platoon at second base, but that's what Stott seemed to be stuck in for most of May. He sat out in the Phillies first six games against southpaws, but started to get back in the lineup against lefties over the final week of the month.

After hitting .280 in 2023, his down season at the plate last year was chalked up to an elbow injury. To be the valuable leadoff hitter Thomson thinks he can be, Stott will need to get that average back up. He's still taking his walks, however, at an 8.5 percent clip so far. And with 11 steals, he's on track to reach the 30-steal plateau for a third straight season.

The good news is that Stott got off to a good start on Tuesday in Toronto, with a walk, a two-run single in the Phillies' 8-3 win against the Blue Jays. Now, he just needs to keep it going.

J.T. Realmuto, C

While nobody is questioning J.T. Realmuto's defensive chops or leadership abilities with the pitching staff, his bat has been something less than ideal so far this season. He's slashing .225/.296/.358 with five home runs and 22 RBIs in 50 games.

The 34-year-old backstop hit just .205 in May, causing Thomson to drop him down the lineup. He managed just two hits over the recent homestand, carrying a .125/.176/.125 line in 17 plate appearances. He now leads the team with 10 double play ground outs, the fourth-most in the majors.

His biggest struggles have come against left-handed pitching. Although he's always been weaker against lefties than righties, this season has taken it to a new level.

The good news is, many of his peripheral and underlying stats and metrics look normal, and he's likely due to see some improvement. He's striking out at the same rate as last year, when he hit .266, while walking more. He's chasing out of the zone less and has a higher average exit velocity. With a .252 xBA and .415 xSLG, June will hopefully see Realmuto contribute at the plate more than he has been.

Max Kepler, LF

The first two months of Max Kepler's time in Philly haven't exactly gone as he or the Phillies likely planned. His defense has been solid in left field, but his bat hasn't added the pop to the lineup we were all hoping for.

He's hitting just .221 with a .694 OPS, six home runs and 21 RBIs in 205 plate appearances. He was okay through the first month of the season, but scuffled in May with a .188/.275/.375 slash line and a 24.2 percent strikeout rate.

The front office and coaching staff thought Kepler would be able to take the everyday role in the outfield, but he hasn't been able to hit left-handers, with a .205/.256/.359 slash line. Not that he's been much better against righties, either, slashing .225/.321/.394.

We wrote a few weeks ago about why it wasn't time to panic about Kepler's performance just yet. His underlying metrics have looked good. His 46.4 percent hard-hit rate is well above league average, as is his 11.6 percent barrel rate.

He's underperforming his .245 xBA and .429 xSLG, so you'd think that eventually things will turn around for the 32-year-old. But if it doesn't happen soon, Phillies fans will get even more antsy and the one-year, $10 million gamble will look like a bust.