Rob Thomson’s series-finale lineup shows Phillies’ flexibility

A major offseason topic was how Phillies manager Rob Thomson would go about his lineup.

Last year, a lot of the criticism centered on the cleanup spot and how the order rounded out at the bottom.

This year, the club’s roster begins the season with a great deal of versatility and flexibility.

On Saturday, the Phillies were prepared to face Jacob deGrom, who has made 22 career starts against the club. After the right-hander was scratched, Texas pivoted to left-hander Jake Latz.

Philadelphia ran out the same lineup it used on Opening Day versus Nathan Eovaldi and it struggled. The order featured five left-handed hitters. Latz carried a perfect game through four innings, and the left-handed bats went 0-for-7 against the 29-year-old southpaw.

Sunday, Thomson is taking a different route against Texas left-hander MacKenzie Gore. The lineup:

1. Trea Turner (R) SS
2. Kyle Schwarber (L) DH
3. Bryce Harper (L) 1B
4. Alec Bohm (R) 3B
5. Adolis García (R) RF
6. Edmundo Sosa (R) 2B
7. J.T. Realmuto (R) C
8. Otto Kemp (R) LF
9. Justin Crawford (L) CF

The top four remain the same, and it’s fair to expect that group stays intact for a while, regardless of who’s on the mound.

But everything after that is more fluid. Thomson made clear this isn’t a permanent shift.

“It’s game by game,” Thomson said.

Adolis García, who collected his first hit as a Phillie in the bottom of the ninth Saturday, will hit fifth. His last season in Texas (2025) was a struggle regardless of who he faced. In fact, he had more trouble against lefties than righties.

The hope is that García is trending back toward his 2023 form. That year, he posted a 40-point OPS jump vs. left-handed pitching (.866) and reached base at a .362 clip. Even in 2024, when he took a step back overall, he still had more success against lefties than righties.

His swing looks shorter to the ball right now, and his approach has allowed him to see it longer, which should help his discipline.

Thomson is also giving Bryson Stott his first day off of the season. Stott struggled against left-handed pitching in 2025, but he looked more comfortable in those matchups this spring, going 6-for-9 with a home run. He’s 1-for-9 in his career against Gore — the lone hit was a homer.

That opens the door for Edmundo Sosa, who came off the bench Saturday. Last season, the right-handed hitter slashed .318/.362/.533 (.895) against lefties. It’s one of the better platoon profiles on the roster, and he’s seen Gore plenty from his time in Washington.

Realmuto shifts up a spot to seventh, with Kemp behind him. Similar to Stott, Brandon Marsh struggled in same-handed matchups last year. In his first season in 2025, Kemp slugged .462 and finished with a .786 OPS.

Having thump at the bottom of the order is not how Phillies lineups have looked in a while. Kemp is the fifth right-handed hitter in a row (Bohm through Kemp), which should create more favorable matchups against a tough lefty like Gore.

Gore leans heavily on his fastball — he threw it 49 percent of the time last season as part of a five-pitch mix. Against right-handed hitters, he barely uses his slider (12 percent vs. 45 percent against lefties). He’s tough because he can miss bats and limit walks, which means the Phillies can’t live in passive counts.

Thomson’s message was straightforward.

“We gotta command the strike zone,” he said. “Use the entire field, like, get him down in the zone.”

IMPORTANT TO NOTE

The Phillies are going righty-heavy in part because of how Skip Schumaker has had to run his bullpen early in the series.

Texas’ left-handers out of the bullpen include Tyler Alexander, Jalen Beeks, Robert Garcia and Latz (who filled a longer role Saturday). Alexander and Beeks are coming off back-to-back appearances.

That matters for how Thomson can pivot later. If a right-hander comes in, there’s a clean path to use Stott or Marsh off the bench. And if the Phillies need another right-handed bat, they can turn to Dylan Moore.

Thomson acknowledged that possibility when asked about matching up once Gore exits.

“Yeah, possibly, depending on the game state,” he said.

Flexibility has been a theme for this roster, and it’s not something the Phillies have always had in recent seasons. The way this lineup is built Sunday is a reminder that Thomson is willing to play the matchups early — and keep options open once the bullpens start dictating the game.