Even with Alec Bohm out of lineup Thursday, Don Mattingly delivers impassioned defense of third baseman

PHILADELPHIA — Alec Bohm is out of the lineup as the Phillies go for the sweep of the Athletics Thursday, but interim manager Don Mattingly remains confident in the third baseman.

Edmundo Sosa is starting at third base over Bohm against righty J.T. Ginn Wednesday. Mattingly explained that decision pregame. 

"Just giving Bohm a little day, as much as anything," Mattingly said.  

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Mattingly was then asked whether he would consider giving Bohm — who FanGraphs says is tied with Rafael Devers for the worst WAR among NL position players at minus-0.7 — multiple days off. 

"Yeah, if I thought it was gonna help him, we would," Mattingly said. 

So, does Mattingly think multiple days off in a row would help Bohm right now? 

"Anything's a possibility, right? Today we want to just let him get a reset day," Mattingly said. "Sosa is swinging good, feel good with him pretty much at any time. Yeah, that's pretty much it." 

What was clear from Mattingly's pregame is that he still views Bohm as someone that's going to be integral to the success that the Phillies – now 17-20 — hope to have this season. 

"I'm sure he's pressing — he wants to do well," Mattingly said. 

"Yeah, just trying hard, right? For sure, and he's a guy that I've said it probably a lot at this point, that he's gonna hit. And I believe that until the day I'm not on this Earth, that he's gonna hit. And we're going to need him to be himself. He's gonna get a lot of big hits for us. You guys are gonna forget what happened in May when he's hitting down the stretch and driving in runs. So he's part of our club, he's gonna be a part of it and he's gonna hit." 

Across his first 126 at-bats of the season, Bohm is hitting just .159 with a .433 OPS. Even if Bohm hasn't developed into the 30-home run player many thought he could be early in his career, he's certainly better than what he's shown this season. 

Between 2022 and 2025, Bohm hit .280 with a .749 OPS. The Phillies don't have a right-handed option to hit cleanup right now, and they probably don't even have one who projects as a No. 5 hitter. Even if the version of Bohm the Phillies got the last four years was imperfect, the Phillies would love to have that level of offensive production back. 

That's particularly true when Aidan Miller (back) — the organization's top position prospect that some thought could be in play for a promotion to the majors at third base during the 2026 season — is "not doing baseball activities at this point," according to Mattingly. 

Mattingly admitted that he "encouraged" Bohm to not swing a bat today, but also added that you can't prevent a guy from taking swings, particularly since he could theoretically still be in play as a pinch hitter Wednesday. Mattingly also acknowledged that he was a player who liked to hit his way out of slumps, and said "I think that's what you're gonna get most of the time with guys that are competitive." 

It's been a rough start to a contract year for Bohm, who, of course, is also dealing with a lawsuit against his parents off the field, something it's hard to think hasn't affected his performance at all. 

But Mattingly is right, the Phillies need a better version of Bohm. We'll see if an off day Wednesday helps to turn his season around. 

The Nuggets

• Brandon Marsh's second-inning bunt single in Tuesday's win was his own choice, not something he was directed to do from the dugout. It proved to be a wise decision, as Zack Gelof — playing third base for the first time since he did so at Double-A in 2022 — fielded it and made a poor throw to first base. 

• Kyle Backhus is "still no throw at this point," per Mattingly. The left-handed reliever landed on the injured list with left elbow inflammation on April 30. Mattingly did say that "we feel good about where he's going to get to." 

• Andrew Painter has a 5.28 ERA across 29 innings pitched this year, though if you've watched him pitch, it feels like he's been better. Phillies Nation's Bailey Digh had a good piece this afternoon highlighting some of the indicators that suggest Painter is due for positive regression. 

• The Phillies will wear their powder blue uniforms Thursday, the second time they've donned the throwbacks so far this season. 

• John Kruk is scheduled to be back in the NBC Sports Philadelphia booth with Tom McCarthy for this weekend's series against the Colorado Rockies. 2008 World Series MVP Cole Hamels is slated to join them Sunday. 

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