One of the more concerning story lines for the Philadelphia Phillies has been Alec Bohm’s miserable slump. The Phillies’ third baseman is hitting just .159 on the season and was recently benched due to poor performance.
For the series finale against the Athletics, Bohm was out of the lineup in favor of Edmundo Sosa. The utility infielder, who typically operates in a platoon with Bryson Stott, got the start at third base.
On May 8, interim manager Don Mattingly provided an update on when Bohm will return to the lineup. Mattingly told reporters, including Todd Zolecki of MLB.com, that his third baseman will return to the lineup the next day.
Alec Bohm’s 2026 Season Off to Miserable Start
The 2026 season has been a struggle for Bohm, both on and off the field. The Phillies’ third baseman sued his parents over the handling of his MLB earnings. It’s unclear if the lawsuit is creating a distraction that’s affecting Bohm’s on-field performance.
Bohm entered the season as the Phillies’ cleanup hitter. He started in that spot in the lineup for the first 10 games of the season. But after an 8-for-39 start to the season, he’s been demoted to the bottom of the lineup. Left fielder Brandon Marsh, who is in the midst of a potential breakout, has taken Bohm’s previous spot in the lineup.
The change hasn’t done much to help Bohm’s season. Through 34 games, he’s slashing just .159/.227/.206 with 1 homer. His 21 wRC+ is the second-lowest figure for qualified hitters according to FanGraphs. Only Cedric Mullins of the Tampa Bay Rays is faring worse at 17.
Bohm’s slump can be traced to poor quality of contact. His 88.5 MPH average exit velocity, 36.4% hard-hit rate, and his barrel rate of 0.9% are all on pace to be career lows. Even for a hitter who averages 14 home runs per 600 plate appearances, those are astonishingly bad contact metrics.
Statcast’s expected metrics, which factor in batted ball data, have Bohm at a .216 expected batting average and .293 expected slugging percentage entering play on May 8. Those rank in the ninth and seventh percentiles among hitters.
The struggles couldn’t have come at a worse time for Bohm. The 29-year-old is scheduled to hit free agency after the season. Between 2022 and 2025, Bohm produced a 105 wRC+ and 8.0 fWAR, which rank 14th and 13th among qualified MLB third basemen over that period.
However, his 2026 season threatens to undercut his earning potential in free agency.
Alec Bohm’s Slump Could Create Urgency for Phillies
The Phillies got off to a miserable 9-19 start. In the midst of a 10-game losing streak, the club fired manager Rob Thomson and named Don Mattingly as the interim. Since Mattingly took over, Philadelphia is 8-2 and climbing up the National League East standings.
With a change in leadership, there is urgency for both Bohm and the Phillies to turn their season around. Expectations going into the season where the club would compete for a division title. There may come a point where the Phillies’ front office can simply no longer be patient and see if Bohm can break this slump.
In that situation, the team may cut ties with their third baseman and look to upgrade the position at the trade deadline. That gives Bohm possibly two months to show some turnaround in his performance. If that does not happen, they will turn to Sosa or make a deal to strengthen their lineup.
The Phillies have already shown a willingness to eat money to part ways with underperforming players, as was the case with Taijuan Walker. After five horrendous starts, the club parted ways with Walker and ate the rest of the $18 million owed to him. That’s a higher figure than the $10.2 million that Bohm will make in 2026.
The clock is already ticking on Bohm’s tenure in Philadelphia. The only question is if his last game with the club will be in July or October.
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