PHILADELPHIA -- Edmundo Sosa still has a knack for making his mark.
He crushed the second-longest home run of his career in the second inning of Tuesday night’s 10-4 loss to the Cubs at Citizens Bank Park. His three-run shot traveled a Statcast-projected 442 feet and landed on Ashburn Alley in left-center field to give the Phillies an early lead. He hit a leadoff double and scored in the eighth inning to cut the Cubs’ lead to three.
“I caught the sweeper in front, and thank God, I got the home run,” Sosa said.
Sosa started at third base on Tuesday for the slumping Alec Bohm. He will start at second base in Wednesday’s series finale against Cubs left-hander Shota Imanaga in place of Bryson Stott.
Bohm will be back at third for that one.
Bohm snapped an 0-for-17 slump on Monday, but he is batting .153 with one home run, 10 RBIs and a .447 OPS. He entered Tuesday ranked 179th out of 190 qualified hitters in OPS. Former Phillies center fielder Harrison Bader is last (.338 OPS).
With the bases loaded, two outs and the Phillies trailing by three in the eighth inning, manager Rob Thomson pinch-hit Bohm for Brandon Marsh against Cubs left-hander Caleb Thielbar, who had held left-handed hitters to a .583 career OPS entering the night.
Bohm struck out swinging on four pitches. He got booed as he returned to the dugout.
“Bohm, the last couple days, has been swinging the bat better,” Thomson said.
The Phillies need Bohm to get going, so don’t expect Sosa to start seeing more playing time at third base. Sosa is a clubhouse and fan favorite. He brings energy to the field every time he plays. At times, he has played so well in short bursts that folks occasionally wonder if he could play more.
But Sosa is best in his current role. The Phillies are better if Bohm is playing every day and producing.
They would love it if he did it as the cleanup hitter.
Bohm hit cleanup through his first 11 games, but Thomson dropped him to seventh on Friday. He has hit eighth, seventh and sixth in three starts since. Marsh hit cleanup over the weekend. Adolis García has hit cleanup in the first two games against the Cubs.
Overall, Phillies cleanup hitters entered Tuesday ranked 25th in the Majors with a .589 OPS.
That number will improve in time. But how much will it improve compared to the rest of the league? Phillies cleanup hitters ranked 20th in MLB last season with a .720 OPS. They ranked 17th with a .732 OPS in 2024.
It has been an issue for two-plus seasons.
Bohm struggled like this early last season, too, batting .155 with a .331 OPS through his first 14 games. He batted .307 with an .800 OPS in his final 106. But this year, Bohm has off-the-field issues, too. He is suing his parents, alleging that they defrauded him of millions. Bohm said on Opening Day, when he hit his only home run, that he was “not going to address any personal matters right now.”
Thomson was asked before Tuesday’s game how he gauges whether Bohm’s off-field concerns are possibly affecting him on the field.
“I think just how he acts in the clubhouse and how he acts on the field,” Thomson said. “The performance is getting better. The swing is getting better. But when he does struggle, we don't see the same frustration we saw in the past, so that's good. He's grown up. My door is always open, so if he ever wants to talk about anything -- he hasn't. He seems to be in a really good space.”
Bohm is 1-for-3 with one home run in his career against Imanaga.