Phillies Lineup Gets Major Shake-Up

Kyle Schwarber, Alec Bohm, Jean Segura, and Rhys Hoskins were listed in different spots in the Philadelphia Phillies' lineup on Tuesday.
© Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Ahead of their two-game series against the Texas Rangers on Tuesday night, Philadelphia Phillies Manager Joe Girardi made a major shake-up to his lineup.

Kyle Schwarber will be leading off for the first time since April 15, but the move doesn't come as much of a surprise since the slugger has been heating up as of late. He blasted three home runs and drove in five runs in the series against the New York Mets, which saw his slugging percentage rise to .520 and his OPS to .838 on the season.

Schwarber takes over leadoff duties from Jean Segura, who has now moved down to the six-hole. While Segura filled in quite nicely at leadoff in 2021, he did not find the same success there in April. He posted a .245 OBP in 49 plate appearances, while striking out seven times and collecting only three walks. Hopefully, the change proves to be productive for both players.

The lineup's biggest change is Alec Bohm's insertion to the two-hole. Rhys Hoskins has occupied the second spot in the Phillies' lineup since April 19, and hasn't seen much offensive success outside of a home run, a double, and three RBI. Hoskins' OPS dropped to .514 and he struck out 15 times in 51 PAs. He's now batting sixth—where he has much better numbers in a small sample size—a 1.110 OPS, three homers, and seven RBI in 29 PAs.

Meanwhile, Bohm has looked like a completely different player from last season. He has the highest xBA in the major leagues at .367, and has been the Phillies' most consistent offensive force all season. He's slashing .309/.373/.455 with two home runs and 14 RBI in 67 PAs, and has bounced back defensively at third base since his three-error game on April 11 as well.

This marks just the 10th time in Bohm's career that he will bat second. In those previous nine games, the 25-year-old batted .359/.390/.385. The move should pay off for the Phillies, and let's hope Bohm can continue his tear behind Schwarber.

Just minutes after the original lineup was released, Nick Castellanos was scratched. It's rumored he'll be out Tuesday night on paternity leave. But once Castellanos returns, Hoskins and Segura are likely to drop down in the lineup to the seventh and eighth spots respectively, as the original lineup listed. 

This might just be the shake-up the Philadelphia lineup needs to get going and perform the way they were expected to offensively. They'll need to turn up the heat in the month of May as they will face some tough competition in the Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves, and San Francisco Giants.

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Lauren Amour
LAUREN AMOUR

Lauren Amour is Deputy Editor for FanNation's 'Inside the Phillies,' part of Sports Illustrated. Lauren formerly covered the Phillies for SB Nation's The Good Phight. Lauren is a graduate of Rider University in New Jersey.