Struggling Alec Bohm gets a ‘reset day’ as Edmundo Sosa starts at third
Bohm is off to the worst start to a season in his career, with a .159 batting average and .433 OPS through 35 games.
In the seventh inning on Wednesday night, Bryson Stott stepped up to the plate in Alec Bohm’s place.
Stott ended up striking out looking against right-handed Athletics reliever Jack Perkins, though he did come through the following inning with a single to keep the Phillies’ four-run rally going in their 6-3 victory. But interim manager Don Mattingly’s decision in the seventh was significant because, as an everyday player, Bohm is not usually pinch-hit for.
In fact, it marked the first time in his career, outside of situations involving injury or blowout wins and losses, according to MLB.com.
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But Bohm is off to the worst start to a season in his career, with a .159 batting average and .433 OPS through 35 games. In his first two at-bats Wednesday, the third baseman popped out and flew out.
Mattingly then held Bohm out of Thursday’s lineup against A’s righty J.T. Ginn to give him a “reset day.” Edmundo Sosa started at third base instead, a day after coming through with a clutch two-run single on Wednesday that helped spark the Phillies’ comeback win.
Mattingly said he encouraged Bohm not to hit at all during his off day on Thursday, though he would be available off the bench if the situation called for it.
“Because he’s been working so hard, hitting extra all the time,” Mattingly said. “ … It’s not like he’s gonna be sitting over here and the game’s on the line, in the right spot for him, but he wouldn’t be used. But yeah, encourage him to take a reset day, from the standpoint of grinding, grinding, grinding. Take a step back, and then we get back after it.”
Off the field, Bohm is involved in a legal dispute with his parents. He filed a suit in March alleging that they had mismanaged his finances.
As Bohm’s slump stretches on, Mattingly said he believes he is pressing, but maintains confidence in him.
“I’ve said that probably a lot at this point, that he’s gonna hit, and I believe that till the day I’m not on this earth, that he’s gonna hit, and we’re gonna need him to be himself,” Mattingly said. “He’s gonna get a lot of big hits for us. You guys are going to forget what happened in May when he’s hitting down [the] stretch and driving in runs. He’s part of our club. He’s gonna be a part of it. And he’s gonna hit.”
Bohm isn’t whiffing (17.5%) or chasing (23%) very much, but when he makes contact it hasn’t been very hard. His barrel rate is 0.9%, and his average exit velocity is 88.5 mph, the latter of which is in the bottom 35th percentile of hitters.
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During his playing career, Mattingly said he usually liked to try and hit his way out of slumps. But Bohm has reached the point where Mattingly thinks a reset day would be beneficial.
“They don’t look at things like, ‘Oh, I’ll just stop hitting. That’ll help me hit,’” Mattingly said. “They’re thinking, ‘I got to keep working, and then I’m going to hit.’ ... I really wouldn’t want it any other way. Sometimes you encourage them to just take a little bit of a step back.
“In those terms, take a day. I’m not asking you to quit working, and thinking you’re gonna get better. I think you keep working. But there’s times I think that you take a step back.”
Extra bases
Zach Pop (calf) has continued to progress, according to Mattingly. He did pitcher’s fielding practice Thursday. ... The Phillies claimed right-handed pitcher Grant Holman off waivers from Detroit and optioned him to triple-A Lehigh Valley. Holman, 25, pitched four innings for the Tigers’ triple A affiliate and recorded a 6.75 ERA. ... Jesús Luzardo (3-3, 5.09 ERA) is scheduled to start Friday’s series opener against Rockies right-hander Chase Dollander (3-2, 3.38 ERA).
Hunter Pence's 368-day stint with the Phillies was a study in extremes. Acquired at the trade deadline in 2011 as the missing right-handed bat for a World Series contender, he got dealt a year later by an underachieving team. And with the Phillies in full-on crisis mode this week, Pence sits down with "Phillies Extra," the Inquirer's baseball podcast, to discuss how quickly a team's fortunes can change. Watch here.
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