Is it time for the Phillies to end the Bryson Stott experiment?

It could be time for a change, particularly at the top of the Philadelphia Phillies lineup. Bryson Stott has been the team’s primary leadoff hitter against right-handed pitching, with Trea Turner manning the duties against lefties. The recent lack of offense could prompt a change at the leadoff spot.

The Phillies have lost three consecutive series and eight of the last nine games. Heading into Sunday, the offense has scored three or fewer runs in seven of their previous 11 games. 

While Bryce Harper was out after getting hit in his right elbow by a 95 mph fastball against the Atlanta Braves on May 27, the offense couldn’t get anything going. The Phillies averaged seven hits and just over three runs per game in Harper’s absence and lost four out of six games.

The Phillies produced a six-run, six-hit first inning in an 8-3 win over the Blue Jays on Tuesday, Harper’s first game back. The Showman hit a solo home run in his first at-bat back from injury, but despite the early outburst, the Phillies’ offense went cold the rest of the game and in the four losses that followed.

It's time for the Phillies to end the Bryson Stott leadoff experiment

Stott has cooled off at the plate after a successful month of April in which he hit .314 with a .388 on-base percentage, five extra-base hits and 13 RBI. He hit just .216 with a .262 on-base percentage in May and owns a .100 batting average in 20 at-bats so far in June.

Despite his success in April, Stott is hitting .234 with a .287 on-base percentage as the leadoff man in 2025. A leadoff hitter is supposed to work the count and get on base, but Stott is only doing one of those things.

“I’m pretty committed,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said when asked about Stott leading off, per Phillies Nation’s Destiny Lugardo. “The length of the at-bats are good. When we first put him in there, he was really productive. He’s kind of cooled off a little bit. There’s a trust factor there that as long as the at-bats look good and they’re long, I’m good with it.”

Stott’s season batting average is down to .243, and his on-base percentage is .308, below MLB average. The left-handed hitter is 3-for-29 in his last eight games.

The length of an at-bat shouldn’t justify Stott remaining in the leadoff spot. The Phillies’ second baseman simply isn’t getting the job done.

Comparatively, Trea Turner owns a .301 batting average and a .355 on-base percentage in 2025. The veteran is hitting .321 in the leadoff spot with a .360 on-base percentage and is hitting both left-handed and right-handed pitching significantly better than Stott.

Stott performed much better lower in the lineup, albeit with a smaller sample size. He owns a .333 average in 21 at-bats as the Phillies’ seven-hole hitter and a .267 average in 30 at-bats batting eighth.

Although Thomson seems to have his mind made up, the Phillies could benefit from moving Stott down in the order to figure things out at the plate.

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