Wondering whether Don Mattingly will return after the 2026 season as the manager of the Philadelphia Phillies has gone from "legitimate question" to "near-impossibility," even as the Phils turn things around a bit. Mattingly took over for Rob Thomson back in April after his disastrous 9-19 start. Under the title of interim manager, Mattingly and the Phillies have pulled themselves back into playoff contention, but the club and its president of baseball operations, Dave Dombrowski reportedly have a different leader in mind in former Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora. It'll be tough to fend off a change at manager, and it will most likely take a very successful playoff run this October for Mattingly to do so, per one MLB insider.
Mattingly took over the Phillies just as Thomson did in 2022. He took his interim title and led the Phillies to a World Series appearance. Thomson was awarded the full-time job as a result. According to Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY, Mattingly will have to do just that in order to retain his position - he might even have to win it this time to keep the gig. It's not an easy feat and quite the challenge to overcome, but that's what he's up against with Cora being the expected hire before next season.
2026 Phillies don't look like a World Series contender, but Don Mattingly needs them to be
There's little room for error with the current Phillies ball club. They're not a shoo-in to make the postseason and have been scuffling just to string together wins. Mattingly took over from his bench coach role in April after Cora reportedly turned the midseason gig down and gave the club some new life with some regression mixed in. Who knows what can happen even if they just sneak into the playoffs? All the Phillies need to do is get there and hope the stars do their job.
In the 2022 run, Thomson took what seemed at the time to be a fringe team and took them within two games of a World Series title. Thomson was provided the opportunity to return, and Mattingly could very well get the same treatment. It may be viewed as even more impressive, given how volatile this team has appeared at times. Mattingly himself even said that he's open to returning as the team's manager in 2027. The team has the pieces to win a championship. Mattingly just has to be able to fit it the right way to get them there.
The Boston connection that Cora and Dombrowski have will be tough to separate if the Phillies' head honcho is given the chance. Cora is a big name and a familiar face with the head of the front office. What Mattingly must do, even though it'll be a tough ask, is to make a deep playoff run and prove his worth to bring back to the organization. Get this team to the World Series or even win it, and force the front office's hand to admit they already have the right guy for the job.
Add us as a preferred source on Google