Philadelphia Phillies All-Star Infielder Benched Before Game Two of NLDS

The Philadelphia Phillies have decided to bench All-Star third baseman Alec Bohm before Game Two of the National League Division Series against the New York Mets on Sunday.

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The Philadelphia Phillies have made a big change to their starting lineup for Sunday's Game Two of the National League Division Series. 

The team has benched All-Star third baseman Alec Bohm for a pivotal second game of the series against the New York Mets. Although healthy, the Phillies have decided to make a change at the hot corner as they look for a jolt to their offense. 

In the 6-2 Game One loss to the Mets on Saturday, the 28-year-old went 0 for 4 at the plate, including three soft contact hits that did not surpass an exit velocity of 75 mph. 

Philadelphia will go with veteran utilityman Edmundo Sosa at third base on Sunday. 

"I wanted to get some energy in the lineup with Sosa, he's kind of our energy guy," Phillies manager Rob Thomson said regarding the lineup change for Game 2. "Bohm's not swinging the bat particularly well, but he's not the only one. He's frustrated. But I just wanted to get Sosa in there."

As Thomson mentioned, Bohm isn’t the only problem with the Phillies offense on Saturday. The team only picked up five hits in the contest, with four of them coming from the top of the lineup. Kyle Schwarber was the only player to record multiple hits as he started the game strong with a leadoff homer. Both Bryce Harper and Nick Castellanos picked up a hit as well but combined for three strikeouts. 

Philadelphia was 2 for 8 with runners in scoring position (RISP) and left eight men on base on Saturday.

Bohm had a great first half of the regular season as he picked up his first MLB All-Star honors in 2024. He hit .280/ with 15 home runs, 44 doubles, and 97 RBI but ended the season in a sump. Bohm finished the year going 2 for 27 and carried that into his first postseason game on Saturday. 

The Mets will send on veteran Luis Severino on the mound as they look to steal two games at Citizens Bank Park. They are coming off two victories where they have come from behind to win. New York is now the third team to win back-to-back playoff games after trailing in the eighth inning or later. They will look for some length from him, as the Mets used five different pitchers in Game One on Saturday. 

He will face Cristopher Sanchez for the Phillies. The first pitch is scheduled for 4:08 pm ET and will be available on FS1.