Phillies at the Break: Alec Bohm update, post All-Star rotation, and lineup tweaks in San Diego

The Phillies wrapped up the first half of the season with a 2-1 win in San Diego, and now head into the All-Star break with some clarity on their pitching plans, a few health updates, and Rob Thomson once again navigating matchups and morale in his lineup decisions.

Phillies enter the break in first place in the NL East

Who’s Hot 

• JT Realmuto is batting .339 with 39 hits and 10 RBI over his last 30 games. 
• Bryce Harper is hitting .303 with 4 homers and 15 RBI over his last 30 games. 

Who’s Not

• Trea Turner is hitting .266 with 4 homers and 10 RBI over his last 30 games. 
• Max Kepler is batting .191 with 4 homers and 10 RBI over his last 30 games. 
• Brandon Marsh is batting .239 with a homer and 5 RBI over his last 15 games. 
• Max Kepler has been bad all year. Over his last 30 games, he’s hitting .191 with 19 strikeouts. 
• Johan Rojas, also consistently bad, is hitting .180 with 3 RBI over his last 30 games. 
• Bryson Stott is hitting .212 with two homers and 12 RBI over his last 30 games. 

Steady 

• Nick Castellanos is hovering around his career averages with a .273 average and .751 OPS. 
• Kyle Schwarber is hitting .241 with 10 homers and 23 RBI over his last 30 games. 
• Otto Kemp is hitting .247 with a homer and 11 RBI over his last 30 games. 
• Edmundo Sosa is hitting .286 (42 AB) with two homers and 8 RBI over his last 15 games. 

Thoughts: Hot, Not, and Steady

No surprises here. Casty and Schwarber have been the most consistent at the plate for the Phillies in the first half. Trea Turner was right there too until a recent fallout in production.

JT Realmuto’s resurgence is a fantastic sign for the lineup on the right side of the plate. Bryce Harper was starting to heat up after returning from injury and Edmundo Sosa, when playing, has been a spark for this lineup.

The usual suspects in Kepler, Rojas, Marsh, and Stott continue to struggle. No surprise there, obviously, but the Phillies need upgrades in the outfield and at second base if they want to be true contenders.

Injury Updates:

Alec Bohm missed Sunday’s series finale after taking a fastball to the ribs the night before. The official diagnosis is a left rib contusion, and while there’s still soreness, no X-rays were needed. That’s a promising sign for a return post-break. The Phillies didn’t push it. With the All-Star break coming, they’ll give Bohm some time to recover.

Injury Update: Aaron Nola throwing again, Phillies await return post All-Star break

Rotation After the Break

Here’s how the Phillies will line up when they return Friday night against the Angels at Citizens Bank Park:

1. Jesús Luzardo
2. Taijuan Walker
3. Ranger Suárez
4. Zack Wheeler
5. Cristopher Sánchez

It’s a strong five-man unit, with everyone on their own throwing schedules during the break. Luzardo will stay in Philly to throw his bullpen, while Walker heads to Arizona to stay fresh. Thomson emphasized the decisions were based heavily on input from the training staff and pitching coaches, prioritizing rest where needed.

The Andrew Painter Timeline

Top pitching prospect Andrew Painter is still on the outside looking in. Thomson was well aware of his latest start with Triple-A Lehigh Valley: 5 IP, 3 ER, 2 HR, 4 K, 0 BB. His ERA sits at 5.01 through 12 starts, and the 21-year-old continues to battle home run issues (11 HR allowed). There’s no plan to bring him up just yet.

The Andrew Painter Timeline takes another hit after latest start in Triple-A

Lineup Shuffle in San Diego

Facing former Phillie Nick Pivetta, Thomson gave Otto Kemp the start in left field over Max Kepler, citing both matchup preferences and the emotional lift of playing near his hometown. Kemp, from Fullerton and a product of Point Loma Nazarene in San Diego, had a large group of family and friends in attendance.

Thomson also bumped Kyle Schwarber back up to leadoff. As for Kepler, he took it like a pro. “Fine. He was fine,” Thomson said. “I’m sure he’s not overly happy, but he’s professional about it.”

Power Outage, but No Panic

The Phillies’ offense has been light on home runs outside of Schwarber (30 HR), but Thomson isn’t stressing. He expects Brandon Marsh, Kepler, and possibly Bohm to chip in more power in the second half. Meanwhile, the rest of the offense is clicking:

• 2nd in NL in batting average
• 2nd in NL in OBP
• 5th in slugging
• 3rd in team ERA
• 3rd-fewest errors in the league
• Fewest IL days in the NL

The Phillies head home 58-38, still first in the NL East, and ready to sprint toward October with a rested rotation, a relatively healthy roster, and the belief that more power is coming.

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