Philadelphia Phillies Announce Brandon Marsh Move During Mets Series

Getty

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - SEPTEMBER 08: Brandon Marsh #16 of the Philadelphia Phillies in action against the Houston Astros at Citizens Bank Park on September 08, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)

The Philadelphia Phillies secured a 3-0 victory over the New York Mets in their series opener on Thursday night.

Now, the two teams will face off again on Friday as Philadelphia sends out Tim Mayza, while the Mets are starting left-hander Zac Thornton.

With a lefty on the mound, Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly once again made a notable move involving All-Star outfielder Brandon Marsh.

Phillies Announce Marsh Move

Despite having the best year of his career and being named an All-Star for the first time, Mattingly has stayed true to his vision of platooning Marsh when lefties are on the mound. That does have some truth to it, as he’s much better against right-handed pitchers than lefties.

However, with that, Marsh is out of the starting lineup, and Edmundo Sosa will start in left field in his place, while the rest of the outfield will be manned by Derek Hill in center and Bryce Harper in right.

Here’s the full Phillies lineup:

Via Underdog MLB: “Phillies 9/18 K. Schwarber DH T. Turner SS B. Harper RF L. Arraez 2B A. Bohm 1B E. Sosa LF B. Stott 3B J. Realmuto C D. Hill CF T. Mayza SP.”

Phillies 9/18

K. Schwarber DH
T. Turner SS
B. Harper RF
L. Arraez 2B
A. Bohm 1B
E. Sosa LF
B. Stott 3B
J. Realmuto C
D. Hill CF

T. Mayza SP

— Underdog MLB (@UnderdogMLB) September 18, 2026

Looking at Marsh’s 2026 Season

In his sixth MLB season, Marsh has appeared in 146 games and, across 504 at-bats, has recorded 69 runs, 132 hits, 17 home runs, and 58 RBIs while hitting .262, slugging .409, and maintaining a .715 OPS.

Phillies Right Now

Philadelphia is currently in a race for the top Wild Card spot with the Chicago Cubs, as both teams hold an 85-68 record entering Friday night.

While they aren’t officially out of the NL East race, as they trail the Atlanta Braves by 4.0 games, getting that top Wild Card spot would at least give them a best-of-three series at home in the first round rather than going on the road. The matchup would likely come against the Cubs, whichever way it shakes out.