After being recalled to the Philadelphia Phillies on July 19, it took Weston Wilson a few games to get things going at the plate. Now the utility bench player has started making the most of his opportunities, which has put rookie Otto Kemp in a precarious position.
When third baseman Alec Bohm returns from the 10-day IL, which should be in the coming days, someone will lose their roster spot. At first it looked like Wilson might be the odd man out. But a recent hot streak combined with Kemp's recent struggles at the dish has created a different outlook.
Weston Wilson has done enough to play his way into Phillies' plans
Phillies manager Rob Thomson used Wilson sparingly when he first arrived back with the big club. He only saw four games of action and three total plate appearances. Needless to say, he didn't contribute much of anything.
In five starts in left field since Aug. 2, the 30-year-old has helped the Phillies during their current run of success, hitting safely in all five games. He's 6-for-14, slashing .429/.467/.786 with a home run, a pair of doubles, four RBIs and four runs scored in that span.
One of those doubles came in a clutch situation in Monday night's 4-1 win over the Cincinnati Reds. With the Phillies trailing 1-0 in the eighth inning, Wilson laced a double down the left field line, scoring Edmundo Sosa from first base to tie the game. That hit woke up the offense as the Phillies went on to score four in the frame.
Atta way, Wes! pic.twitter.com/9S6nqezQoi
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) August 12, 2025
With Wilson raising his season slash line to .250/.350/.404, it looks like he may be playing his way into staying put when the Phillies need to shuffle the roster next.
Otto Kemp's recent struggles may find him heading back to Triple-A when Alec Bohm returns
It also looks like the writing may very well be on the wall for Kemp. After a storybook start to his MLB career, he has seen a slide in offensive production recently. In 106 plate appearances through July 20, the undrafted rookie had been slashing .260/.330/.385. In 50 plate appearances since then, he's running a .178/.240/.333 slash line with a wild 36 percent strikeout rate. Since the start of August, he's 4-for-18 (.222) with nine strikeouts — that's a 45 percent strikeout rate.
Kemp now has a .234/.301/.369 line on the season since being called up on June 7. He has four home runs and 17 RBIs but is striking out at a 30.1 percent clip. He has held his own defensively in left field and at first base but has proven to be a well below-average defender at third. He has -5 DRS and -7 OAA in 151 innings at the hot corner.
Bohm has played one game so far on his rehab assignment in Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He shouldn't be too far away from rejoining the Phillies and taking up his everyday position at third. That leaves one platoon position open for a right-handed bat in left field.
Will the Phillies give Kemp the chance to figure things out with sporadic playing time in left, or get him back down to Triple-A to play regularly? Wilson has proven in the past that he can produce in a part-time role, so it wouldn't be surprising if he's the one who sticks around.