Phillies look to keep the vibes light as they near clinching NL East, starting with a new T-shirt

As the Phillies’ magic number to clinch the division steadily shrinks and shrinks, the team is finding ways to keep things light.

When the Phillies walked into the clubhouse on Saturday, a light blue T-shirt was on every players’ chair. On each shirt was a design of Harrison Bader’s silhouette, looking up towards the words “WHAT A GIFT.”

The shirt refers to a catchphrase of sorts from Bader, one that has quickly become an inside joke within the Phillies clubhouse. Manager Rob Thomson made reference to it during the team’s champagne toast to Kyle Schwarber after he hit his 50th homer of the season.

“You’re a gift,” Thomson told Schwarber, provoking laughter from the team.

Now, Garrett Stubbs has put it on a shirt.

Several members of the team were wearing Stubbs’ design during batting practice ahead of Saturday’s game against the Royals. Bader often wears cropped shirts, so Stubbs and Max Kepler cropped theirs to wear them in his style.

Bader is hitting .342 with a .945 OPS since he was acquired from the Twins at the trade deadline. But the T-shirt also shows just how quickly Bader has clicked with the Phillies off the field, as well.

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“Winning baseball, winning mentality baseball, is a universal language,” Bader said this week. “Regardless of the uniform, regardless of your record. I think guys who really get behind the notion of just playing winning baseball, I think you can communicate, you can get along and fit into a clubhouse kind of seamlessly. So I’m really just relying on that to just propel me forward.”

Edmundo Sosa, who was removed from Friday’s game with right groin tightness, was out of Saturday’s lineup. Thomson said he came in “feeling better,” and saw a doctor pregame. Bryson Stott started at shortstop, while Donovan Walton started at second.

Zack Wheeler will undergo thoracic decompression surgery to treat his venous thoracic outlet syndrome on Sept. 23 in St. Louis. The procedure, which usually has a recovery timeline of six to eight months, will be performed by specialist Dr. Robert Thompson.

The Phillies won’t see Wheeler until after the surgery is completed.

Jordan Romano (right middle finger inflammation) experienced stiffness in his neck and numbness in his finger Saturday, and as a result did not throw a live batting practice session as planned.

“They think there’s some type of nerve thing going on,” Thomson said. “I don’t think it’s anything serious, but he did not do his BP.”

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Romano will not travel with the team on their upcoming West Coast road trip to Los Angeles and Arizona. Neither will Trea Turner, who is progressing well from his right hamstring strain. Turner played catch, did glove work, and ran in the pool on Saturday. Thomson estimated that Turner will be able to start swinging a bat on Sunday or Monday.

Alec Bohm (left shoulder inflammation) will travel with the team and is expected to be activated during their series against Arizona.

“He’s feeling a lot better every day,” Thomson said.

Bader set a career high on Friday night with his fifth consecutive multi-hit game. Schwarber also drew his 100th walk of the season. He became the first Phillie since RBI became an official statistic in 1920 to collect 100 walks, 100 RBIs, and 100 runs in three straight seasons. ... Aaron Nola (4-8, 6.24 ERA) is scheduled to start Sunday’s series finale against Royals left-hander Noah Cameron (7-7, 3.00 ERA).