Rob Thomson talks Bo Bichette, infusing the Phillies lineup with ‘young talent’ in 2026

Rob Thomson caught up with the media and discussed the Phillies losing out on Bo Bichette, while also touching on the roster as the team gears up for Spring Training in February.

Rob Thomson on the Phillies missing out on Bo Bichette

Caught up with Phillies manager Rob Thomson today and asked him about the team missing out on signing Bo Bichette @NBCPhiladelphia pic.twitter.com/iltTDA498W

— rob kuestner (@rkuestnernbc10) January 19, 2026

The Phillies need to end the Cody Bellinger free agency standoff

I get it. Rob Thomson can’t exactly step to a microphone in January and torch the roster. He’s going to say the right things. He’ll say he’s disappointed, but he’s focused on who’s in the clubhouse, and that the future is bright. It was the definition of a cookie-cutter answer.

Still, the Phillies won 96 games last season. They’re not a bad team. But let’s not pretend they meaningfully upgraded either, outside of a couple bullpen arms.

The margins matter when you’re trying to get back to October and actually finish the job, and right now it feels like they mostly ran it back and hoped for better results.

That’s why the most interesting part of this roster conversation isn’t what they didn’t do. It’s what they might finally be forced to do with the kids.

I’m excited about Justin Crawford, and I genuinely think he should get every opportunity to be the center fielder of the future for this team.

The Phillies botched the runway last year by parking him behind Brandon Marsh and Johan Rojas. Hopefully they learned their lesson and stop playing scared when a prospect looks ready.

Andrew Painter was a roller coaster in Lehigh Valley, but all things considered, he doesn’t really have a choice. The Phillies need him to be good, and the rotation needs that type of arm to stabilize things when the season inevitably hits the grind.

I’m also high on Aidan Miller, but I’m not sure we see him this season with Bryson Stott and Alec Bohm still on the roster. If Miller comes out hot in the minors, the Phillies should clear a path for him. I just don’t trust them to do it quickly. They’ve shown you who they are with this stuff.

Then there’s Otto Kemp, who I still think can be an everyday major leaguer. He had an adjustment period last year, then he got banged up and basically never got the clean runway you’d want for a guy trying to establish himself.

Not even a fractured kneecap could stop Otto Kemp’s rookie run with the Phillies

The knee injury was ridiculous. On June 17, he fouled a ball off his knee and chipped bone off the kneecap. Somehow he only missed one game and played through it the rest of the season. On top of that, he dealt with shoulder issues too, and it’s still unclear exactly when that popped up.

Also important context here: Kemp made his MLB debut just 10 days before that knee injury. Point being, it’s hard to know what to expect from a guy who was learning the league on the fly while playing hurt. But if he’s healthy, he’s got a real shot to carve out a role, likely splitting time between left field and third base.

Even with the setbacks, Kemp still flashed. He hit .234/.298/.411 with eight homers and two steals over 62 big league games, and he mashed at Triple-A Lehigh Valley with a .987 OPS, 16 home runs, and 13 stolen bases.

Another name Rob Thomson mentioned and is worth circling is Gabriel Rincones Jr., because he’s the exact type of prospect the Phillies usually wait too long to properly evaluate.

He turned heads throughout last year’s Spring Training and the power is real, legit corner-outfield thump. The Phillies clearly believe in it too, because if they didn’t protect him in the 2025 Rule 5 Draft, he would’ve been gone instantly.

Rincones spent the entire 2025 season with Triple-A Lehigh Valley and put up an .800 OPS with 18 home runs, 73 RBIs, and 21 stolen bases over 119 games. The best part is how he finished.

After struggling to a .696 OPS through June, he took off and posted a .943 OPS from July onward, which is usually a sign a guy figured something out and didn’t look back.

If Rob Thomson and the Phillies actually mean it when they talk about competition, Rincones deserves a real look this spring, because that corner outfield situation is not exactly locked down.

Rob Thomson did the coach thing and gave the coach answer. It is what it is, but the Phillies don’t really need better quotes right now.

They need better decisions, and if they’re serious about raising their ceiling, it starts with creating actual lanes for Crawford, Miller, Painter, Kemp, and maybe even Rincones instead of doing the same old comfortable veteran shuffle until it’s too late.

Join The Chase