The Philadelphia Phillies return to Citizens Bank Park on Monday, fresh off losing a forgettable weekend series on the road against the St. Louis Cardinals. To say the bats went cold in this series would be an understatement, especially after scoring only four runs in the last 27 innings, and going 2-for-18 with runners in scoring position during that time. With the Phillies' bats currently experiencing a cold snap, the team will look to get back on track during the upcoming seven-game home stand.
And while there's plenty of blame to go around for the recent drop in offensive production, the majority of that finger pointing has been directed at under-performing young veterans Alec Bohm and Brandon Marsh, especially after the duo went a combined 1-for-17 with seven strikeouts over the three-game series.
And while Bohm is hitting a paltry .151 this season, the polarizing third baseman has been making enough hard contact to hint that a breakout could be coming soon. The same can't be said for Marsh, who's last hit came all the way back on March 30 against the Washington Nationals during Opening Day weekend.
After his latest 0-for-3 showing in Sunday's 7-0 loss, could the Phillies' front office be close to making a tough decision regarding Marsh's future?
Could the Phillies option Brandon Marsh to Triple-A if his hitting woes continue?
Things haven't gone as planned since Phillies manager Rob Thomson named Brandon Marsh as the team's starting center fielder during spring training. Coming off a 2024 season where his splits against left-handed pitching (.192 average) seemed to make the case for Marsh being platooned with a right-handed bat, Thomson opted to show confidence in his young veteran by giving him more at-bat's against left-handers to start the season.
But it hasn't mattered who's been on the mound recently. Marsh is off to a nightmarish 4-for-37 start to the 2025 season, and is currently mired in a frustrating 0-for-26 slump. Batting a mere .108 since Opening Day, Marsh has 14 strikeouts and a .268 on-base percentage to begin the year.
Despite going into Sunday's game stuck in an 0-for-22 slump, it was certainly surprising to see Marsh penciled in to face Cardinals' southpaw Matthew Liberatore. But after going 0-for-3 with two more strikeouts, is there anything the Phillies can do to get him back on track?
Brandon Marsh doesn’t have a hit in April. He is 0 for his last 26 and his batting average is down to 108. Alec Bohm is down to 150. The Phillies only managed 6 runs over these last 4 games. https://t.co/ZXi4IbLawq
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) April 13, 2025
The short answer is yes. Even after spending the last three seasons at the MLB level, Marsh has two minor league options remaining after accruing a little over three years of MLB service time.
While unlikely, the Phillies retain the right to option Marsh to Triple-A up to five times this season and next. If the front office decides to go that route, it could diminish Marsh's trade value further and damage his confidence. Demoting Marsh would certainly be the nuclear option.
But if Marsh's 0-for-26 turns into, say, an 0-for-35 slump, the Phillies would probably have to consider something drastic to fix his approach and add production to the big league roster. That being said, starting Johan Rojas every day again would represent another roll of the dice, given his own struggles at the plate over the last two seasons.
Weston Wilson could also be an option once he completes his rehab assignment and proves he's healthy again after suffering an oblique injury at the start of spring training. Wilson was looking to be Thomson's top choice to win the fourth outfielder job before being sidelined at the start of camp.
Other options include top outfield prospects Justin Crawford and Gabriel Rincones Jr. Crawford is currently hitting .283 and is having a nice start for Triple-A Lehigh Valley. The same can also be said of Rincones Jr., who's been tearing the cover off the ball lately with three home runs, seven RBIs and a .298 batting average. Could we see one of them up with the big club soon? That all depends on how much patience the Phillies front office and manager have left with Marsh looking completely lost at the plate.