Aug 28, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm warms up before a game against the Atlanta Braves at Citizens Bank Park. (Grace Del Pizzo/On Pattison)
Phillies
PHOENIX - Speaking from his office at Chase Field, Phillies manager Rob Thomson provided quite a few updates ahead of Friday night's series opener against the Arizona Diamondbacks:
As reported from Los Angeles by On Pattison's Anthony SanFilippo, Taijuan Walker will start Friday's game and Walker Buehler will follow him in a Walker-Buehler piggyback. Rob Thomson further clarified those plans Friday afternoon. "If (Taijuan) went five (innings) and Buehler went four, it would be great. It could be four and five, it could be four, four and somebody closes," Thomson said. Either way, Thomson said Buehler won't come into the game with runners on base.
After a minimum stint on the 10-day IL with left shoulder inflammation, Alec Bohm will make his return Friday. Thomson's hope is that the Phillies will see what Bohm's swing looks like with a healthy shoulder, since "that had a lot to do with a lot of the stuff that was going on." Thomson was encouraged watching Bohm's "impressive" batting practice at Dodger Stadium.
Thomson said Trea Turner was unable to get on the field at Citizens Bank Park Friday since it's currently covered for Friday's Lumineers concert. (He did practice Thursday, though:)
Trea Turner is fielding grounders while a crew sets up for the Lumineers concert 😂
Turner went through his full offensive routine indoors. Thomson said Turner told him he's running at about 60%, and that Thomson wants to see him run at 100% before he returns to the team.
Nick Castellanos said on Mookie Betts' podcast that he has been dealing with patellar tendonitis in his knee since late July. Thomson agreed that the knee had been bothering Castellanos since the July 25 game at Yankee Stadium when he slipped on the warning track. Thomson considers Castellanos "pretty healthy," even though it flares up every once in a while. He said the outfield lineups have been more dependent on "how well the other guys are playing," rather than on managing Castellanos's knee.
Andrew Painter had his last start of the season in Lehigh Valley Wednesday. The 22-year-old prospect went four innings, allowing seven hits, three runs and one home run, while striking out six and walking two. The Phillies had hoped Painter would earn a call-up around July, but Thomson said he's officially done for the season:
Rob Thomson told @GraceDelPizzo that the Phillies will not keep Andrew Painter pitching into October, so his 2025 season is officially over.
Painter's first season after Tommy John surgery certainly didn't go the way he or the Phillies had hoped – he finished the season with a 5.26 ERA – but Thomson's takeaways are positive. Now Painter and the Phillies will look ahead to 2026.
Grace Del Pizzo is a Multimedia Journalist for On Pattison and Delco Now. She is from Delco and has been covering Philly sports since 2023. During the 2024 MLB season, Del Pizzo worked as the Social Media Coordinator at Phillies Nation, growing their social channels and creating video content with Phillies players. She has also interned at Crossing Broad. Del Pizzo is a graduate of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University, where she majored in Sports Journalism and minored in Music Theatre. Follow her on X at @GraceDelPizzo!
