With the Phillies taking a much-needed day off before beginning a six-game road trip which starts in Toronto, this feels like a good time to take a step back and evaluate some ongoing issues with a team that was on a roll before dropping four games in a row.
In another 5 Phillies thoughts, this is what is on my mind in the wake of a home sweep at the hands of old friend Rhys Hoskins and the Milwaukee Brewers…
Should the Phillies put Kyle Schwarber atop the lineup again?
Schwarber's move from leading off to cleaning up for the Phillies has gone swimmingly for Schwarber, who is enjoying a dominant season. In 59 games, Schwarber is slashing .266/.398/.584 with 19 home runs; much of that damage has been done since he was moved behind Bryce Harper in the order.
But has the change actually gone that well for the Phillies as a whole? The primary rationale behind moving Schwarber back in the order and leading off Bryson Stott, manager Rob Thomson said at the time, was to have Schwarber protect Bryce Harper. But even before he went down with an elbow injury — by the way, Thomson seems to expect Harper back in the lineup on Tuesday — Harper was posting underwhelming numbers by his lofty standards. Harper has been good in 2025 but he has yet to explode in the way Phillies fans are accustomed to seeing him do.
Nobody should blame Schwarber for that, of course, and nobody should lose confidence in Harper's ability to lead this offense later in the season. But Harper has gone on massive tears before — not just without Schwarber protecting him, but with extremely questionable clean-up hitters like Alec Bohm and Nick Castellanos behind him. He can get going at any time under any circumstances.
The real issue is that the entire theory is based on the notion that Stott is a viable leadoff hitter. And while Stott's patience and ability as a baserunner give him parts of the makeup of someone at the very top of a lineup, he has just not been a good enough hitter in his career to warrant this long of a leash. Stott, who ran a .561 OPS in May, has seen his season-long slash line go down to .254/.320/.363. It is both extremely underwhelming for a top-of-the-order bat and just about in line with Stott's major-league performance over the course of a sample of nearly 500 games.
It is not that Stott cannot be a helpful piece for the Phillies. He has been for years. His excellent glove work at second base, base-stealing ability and tendency to work long at-bats in timely moments are all valuable. But he simply does not reach base enough to be a leadoff hitter right now.
Another roster move is coming
The Phillies shook up their bullpen on Sunday morning, designating struggling right-hander José Ruiz for assignment and recalling Seth Johnson from Triple-A to take his place. Ruiz was a diamond in the rough for the Phillies last year, but never found his footing in 2025, with a five-run blowup on Saturday being the nail in the coffin for his roster spot. Thomson cited Ruiz's struggles when asked about the move, also indicating that Johnson's noticeable uptick in velocity since being moved from starting to a relief role and ability to provide some length made him the superior option.
However, another move will come on Thursday. Mick Abel is rejoining the Phillies and will be part of the team's starting rotation, seemingly until Aaron Nola returns from the injured list — Abel appears primed for more than one start this time around — and Taijuan Walker is moving to the bullpen in a role he has never played before.
The Phillies will have to remove another pitcher from their 26-man roster in order to recall Abel, and there appear to be three options:
• Johnson, who did not pitch on Sunday despite being available after Ranger Suárez pitched into the seventh inning. Johnson can be optioned back to Triple-A.
• Max Lazar, who has a 3.38 ERA in three appearances (5.1 innings pitched) with the Phillies this year, including the first save of his major-league career in West Sacramento last month. Lazar can also be optioned back to Triple-A.
• Carlos Hernández, who has failed to throw strikes all year. Hernández has a 6.14 ERA and 1.91 WHIP in mostly low-leverage spots with the Phillies despite obvious arm talent. The team gave him an additional vote of confidence on Sunday, when Thomson argued that Hernández is finally beginning to throw more strikes, and if he continues to do so, he will be an effective option out of the bullpen. Perhaps the most significant factor working in his favor here: Hernández cannot be optioned back to Triple-A; the Phillies would have to see him clear waivers to keep the right-hander in the organization.
In other words, Johnson or Lazar is likely headed back to Lehigh Valley in short order.
MORE: Why Phillies are bringing back Abel, sending Walker to bullpen
Justin Crawford thriving with IronPigs
Speaking of Lehigh Valley, it seemed quite ambitious for the Phillies to expect Crawford, 21, to thrive against Triple-A pitching after playing just 40 games in the level below it. But in 49 games, Crawford has slashed .338/.407/.438 as the IronPigs' leadoff hitter, scoring 38 runs as the table-setter for a lineup that has obliterated pitching in the International League.
There are still things Crawford needs to iron out — he is not weak at all, but his swing path has almost become infamous for the lack of fly balls it produces. Crawford has excellent bat-to-ball skills and incredible speed, but most prospect evaluators have argued he will not maximize his ability if he does not learn to hit the ball hard in the air. Crawford only has one home run this season, undeniably a concern. But he is so far ahead of schedule for a younger 21-year-old.
That is why this is so intriguing. Crawford has more or less had his way at every level of baseball he has played. He is batting .320 across his minor-league career with 119 stolen bases in 262 games. By sending him to Lehigh Valley earlier than expected, the Phillies issued quite a challenge to their 2022 first-round pick, and he is tackling it.
Edmundo Sosa has crashed back down
While Thomson was hard-pressed to find a true silver lining to Bryce Harper's extended absence, he did acknowledge over the weekend that he was looking forward to seeing Sosa get consistent work, particularly against right-handed pitching. Sosa entered the year slated to handle a similar role that he often has: in the lineup against a decent number of lefties, and typically on the bench against a right-hander.
Sosa forced Thomson's hand early in the year with outstanding showings time and time again, and now he is platooning with Stott at second base, almost never on the bench with a lefty on the mound. With Harper sidelined, the Phillies shifted Bohm to first base and played Sosa at third base, even against right-handed pitching.
For nearly three years now, Sosa has been an important piece of Phillies teams. His hot streaks, like the one he enjoyed in April, are incredibly fun to watch. In those moments, it becomes difficult to fight the urge of giving him more at-bats — and the Phillies have lacked the infield production to make it easy to avoid wondering about Sosa could do with increased responsibility.
However, Sosa has repeatedly been exposed in those situations as someone who can be outstanding in a pinch but not exactly reliable on an everyday basis. He is slashing .208/.263/.283 since April 29, and his season-long numbers have plummeted to .294/.337/.388 — certainly still respectable, but a far cry from where that slash line once was.
With Harper back, Sosa should settle back into his ideal role as a platoon second baseman. He will remain an extremely valuable member of this team, particularly because of his positional versatility on the dirt. But playing every day is probably not the optimal situation for his production.
MORE: Hoskins, Brewers sweep Phillies
The latest on Andrew Painter
The Phillies have said since the offseason that, in an effort to build up Painter and save some of his innings for the stretch run — and hopefully October — he would debut at some point in the summer. "July-ish" has been the term thrown around quite often, with indications that June and August were also still in play.
Before Friday's series opener against Milwaukee, Thomson said that Painter is "right at where we want," and the only thing he wants to see from Painter over the next month — or however much longer his stint in the minor leagues lasts — is to stay healthy.
Painter has been rock solid in four starts with the IronPigs. His fastball was as fast as it has been in his most recent start, in which he made it through 5.0 innings and threw a season-high 81 pitches. Painter has steadily increased his workload from start to start, all while maintaining or improving his elite stuff.
Through those four starts for Lehigh Valley, Painter has amassed 17.0 innings pitched, posting a 2.65 ERA with 20 strikeouts to seven walks and just one homer. The 22-year-old certainly looks the part of someone who can make an impact at the major-league level.
MORE: Painter entering critical month
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