The Philadelphia Phillies have turned things around after an early-season scare. Entering Friday, they’ve won eight of their last 10 games and are on a seven-game win streak.
The Phillies are in first place in the NL East with a 32-18 record and own the second-best winning percentage in the majors behind only the Detroit Tigers. The starting rotation has played a large part in the team’s success, and a few struggling star players are finally starting to heat up at the plate.
Bryce Harper is hitting .471 over his last nine games and has a .333 batting average in May, Trea Turner has the ninth-highest batting average (.303) in the NL and Alec Bohm has raised his batting average to .264 after it was as low as .150 on April 13.
Rob Thomson has a decision to make about Alec Bohm's place in the Phillies’ lineup
Bohm started the 2025 season hitting either second, third or fourth in the Phillies’ lineup. After an underwhelming start, Phillies manager Rob Thomson moved Bohm to the seventh spot in the order on April 10.
Despite heating up at the plate, Bohm has consistently hit in the bottom half of the Phillies’ lineup. The 28-year-old has been primarily hitting eighth in the order and moves up to sixth against left-handed pitching. It could be time for Thomson to reward the third baseman with a higher spot in the lineup.
Since April 14, Bohm is hitting .320, including a 10-game hit streak and an eight-game hit streak. He has nine extra-base hits and 16 RBI since then.
Bohm has drastically turned his season around at the plate, and his .264 batting average is the seventh-highest among major league third basemen. His numbers are still lower than expected, but it’s tough to climb out of the hole he dug for himself earlier in the season.
Thomson has another decision, whether to keep Bohm where he is and stick with what’s been working, or to move the 2024 All-Star up the Phillies’ lineup. His success at the plate over the last month-plus should be enough to give him another chance at hitting higher up regularly.
The Phillies shouldn’t mess with the one through five hitters, but the rest of the lineup is flexible. Max Kepler has been the team’s No. 6 hitter against right-handed pitching as of late, and J.T. Realmuto has been hitting seventh or fifth, depending on the opposing starting pitchers’ handedness.
Kepler is hitting just .229 this year and has a .157 batting average since May 4. Likewise, Realmuto owns a .240 batting average and was 1-for-17 at the plate before his three-hit performance in Wednesday's win over the Rockies.
Although not a big jump, Bohm could slide into sixth or seventh in the lineup and have more chances at driving in runs. With how well the Phillies have been playing, it may be wise to keep rolling with what’s been working, but it’s unlikely that Bohm will remain at the bottom of the order all season.