PHILADELPHIA -- Edmundo Sosa always seems to find a way to make 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.
Sosa started at third base for slumping Alec Bohm. He will start again in Wednesday’s series finale against Cubs left-hander Shota Imanaga.
Sosa, 30, is a clubhouse and fan favorite. He brings energy to the field whenever he plays. In short bursts, he has played so well, at times, that many have wondered if he could play more. But don’t expect Sosa to usurp Bohm at third base. The Phillies need Bohm to get going. He started the year as the cleanup hitter with high expectations entering his final season before free agency.
They need Bohm to be that guy eventually.
Bohm snapped an 0-for-17 slump on Monday, but he entered Tuesday batting .155 with one home run, 10 RBIs and a .455 OPS, which ranked 179th out of 190 qualified players in baseball. Former Phillies center fielder Harrison Bader is last (.338 OPS).
Bohm struck out swinging on four pitches as a pinch-hitter with the bases loaded, two outs and the Phillies trailing by three in the eighth inning on Tuesday. He got booed as he returned to the dugout.
Perhaps Bohm will pull from past experiences to know these slumps can’t last forever. Bohm struggled like this early last season, batting .155 with a .331 OPS through his first 14 games. He batted .307 with an .800 OPS in his final 106 games. 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.”
Phillies manager Rob Thomson was asked before Tuesday’s game how he gauges whether Bohm’s off-field issues might be 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.”
Still, Thomson has acted recently. He dropped Bohm from the cleanup spot to hitting seventh on Friday. He has hit eighth, seventh and sixth in three games since. Brandon Marsh hit cleanup over the weekend. Adolis García has hit cleanup in the first two games against the Cubs.
Phillies cleanup hitters entered Tuesday ranked 25th in baseball with a .589 OPS.
That number will improve. 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.
Sosa cannot be that guy. For now, García will get more opportunities. Bohm will get another chance to turn around his season, too.