The Philadelphia Phillies have continued to disappoint their forlorn fanbase over the season’s first two weeks, and the odds of capturing an elusive World Series ring continue grow ever slimmer. A team that has repeatedly faceplanted in October did next to nothing to improve over the offseason and it really shows. If the club doesn’t break out of their early season slump soon, we could see some of the underperformers jettisoned from the roster.
Otto Kemp
Undrafted free agent Otto Kemp has been an inspirational story as a guy who went from complete nobody to big league contributor in only a few years. The utilityman held his own with a .709 OPS in his first 62 major league games last season, but has been miscast as an outfielder to start 2026.
Kemp has never been a worldbeater with the glove, but the longtime infielder makes every ball an adventure in left field, and has failed to make an impact at the plate in six games thus far. The front office loves him, and he does have value as a bench piece, but don’t be surprised if Kemp gets sent down to Triple-A at some point to try to work out his defensive issues.
List of Phillies' underperformers includes one stalwart whose future is up for grabs
Alec Bohm
The Alec Bohm experience has grown weary for even the most ardent Phillies supporters, as the 2018 third overall draft pick has failed to live up to expectations during his seven years in the City of Brotherly Love. Bohm is far from a useless player, but as a subpar defender with no value on the basepaths, his league-average bat isn’t enough to carry him to stardom.
If the Phillies were better at roster construction, Bohm’s presence wouldn’t be much of an issue as a seven or eight-hole hitter. Unfortunately, a paucity of productive right-handed bats has forced the Nebraskan into the cleanup spot, where he comes up short more often than not. The Phillies were seemingly ready to move on from the 29-year-old this past winter until the Bo Bichette saga blew up in their faces, and many fans were irate that his departure didn’t come to fruition.
Thus far in 2026 Bohm has posted an ugly .186 batting average and .550 OPS across 11 games, spurring more calls for his head on a pike. If Bohm can’t turn things around it might behoove the club to look around for another option closer to the trade deadline, and finally give the fanbase what they want.
Dylan Moore
Former Seattle Mariners Gold Glove Award winner Dylan Moore had a decent run as a jack of all trades defensive wizard. Unfortunately, his bat cratered last year to the tune of a .642 OPS over 106 games, and he hasn’t shown any improvement as a Phillie.
Moore has yet to record a hit in seven trips to the plate, and is completely redundant on a roster that already includes fan favorite Edmundo Sosa. It was surprising to see Moore break camp with the team, and barring an unexpected surge in production, he shouldn’t be long for the roster.
Taijuan Walker
Will this be the year that Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski finally admits defeat on starter Taijuan Walker? Dombrowski gave the former All-Star a four-year, $72 million pact ahead of the 2023 season and it’s been an abject failure.
The 33-year-old Walker has posted a brutal 4.99 ERA over his four seasons wearing red pinstripes, and he’s been completely unplayable this year with a 9.31 mark. He’s only in the rotation to begin the year due to Zack Wheeler’s recovery from surgery, and the longtime ace’s return in a few weeks would be the perfect time to finally cut bait on one of the worst free agent signings in franchise history.
Unfortunately, Taijuan Walker seems to have some sort of voodoo powers over Dombrowski and the rest of the front office, as he’s been given chance after chance despite a complete inability to pitch effectively. When Wheeler returns the team, it will likely slide Walker back into a long relief role where he can give up homers in games that are already out of reach. However, if Dombrowski does surprisingly decide to do the right thing and release Walker, fans might throw a parade down Broad Street; perhaps the only one the Phillies will get during his tenure.