When compared to other teams around the league, the Philadelphia Phillies' lineup had been one of the healthiest through the All-Star break. Bryce Harper and Brandon Marsh were the only two lineup regulars to require a stint on the IL during the first half. That luck didn't last, as Alec Bohm landed himself on the 10-day IL after the Phillies' first game out of the break.
Even worse, the Phillies have a less-than-inspiring plan on how they want to work around Bohm's absence in the lineup.
Bohm left Friday's game against the Los Angeles Angels with left rib discomfort. It was the same rib that Bohm initially hurt when he was hit by a pitch by the San Diego Padres' Yu Darvish in the Phillies' last series before the break. The official diagnosis for Bohm's injury is a left rib fracture, which could sideline him for up to a month.
In the meantime, manager Rob Thomson revealed what the Phillies' lineup could look like for their month without Bohm, per Phillies Nation's Destiny Lugardo. Otto Kemp will play a lot of third base in Bohm's absence, with Max Kepler and Weston Wilson platooning in left field.
As for LF, Thomson said it’s mostly back to Kepler vs. righties and Wilson vs. lefties. Otto Kemp will spend a lot of time at third base. Sosa is also in the mix at third.
— Destiny Lugardo (@destiny_lugardo) July 20, 2025
Boston will have all righties. A couple of lefties may come up in NY.
Phillies' plan for third base and left field isn't exactly what Phillies fans want to hear
That's about the last thing that Phillies fans wanted to hear from their manager with their lineup struggling enough as is. Credit to Otto Kemp where it's due — the rookie is hitting well over .300 at home, and having him split time with Edmundo Sosa at third is the right move. But having two well-below-league-average hitters split time in left should make Phillies fans cringe, and rightfully so.
Max Kepler was subjected to a slew of boos whenever he made an out in the Phillies' series versus the Los Angeles Angels. That happened to be every at-bat, as Kepler went 0-for-8 for the series and has gone 9-for-55 (.164) over the last month. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski must admit he was wrong for signing Kepler and cut ties with him, as he's slashing a putrid .205/.302/.360 on the season.
Weston Wilson had much lower expectations heading into 2025 than Kepler, but he's struggling to hit MLB pitching just the same. Though he's had just a 36 at-bat sample size, Wilson has looked like a sure out every time he has stepped into the batter's box for the Phillies, with his .194 average and .588 OPS. Wilson's inclusion on the big league roster in the past was due to his ability to handle left-handed pitching, but he's struggling to even do that, with a sub-.200 average versus lefties.
With the trade deadline being less than two weeks away, it would be hard to find a worse time for Bohm to be sidelined. The Phillies already had so much at stake at this deadline, and having their starting third baseman miss substantial time only adds another wrinkle to their July 31 plans.
Thomson's current plan should last until at least the end of the month, when hopefully the Phillies reverse course on their reported deadline plans by acquiring an impact bat (preferably right-handed) to patch Bohm's absence in their lineup. But until then, we're all stuck watching Max Kepler and Weston Wilson.