This is what late-season baseball is all about, isn’t it? Every single game feels do-or-die, and the Phillies are living that reality. They just capped off a huge weekend by taking the series from the Tigers with a 2-0 win on Sunday. And the modus operandi was perfect: Cristopher Sánchez was absolutely lights-out on the mound, and Kyle Schwarber did what he does, launching his 38th home run of the season. Just like that, the Phillies have now leapfrogged the Mets to take the top spot in the NL East. And with the standings this tight, they’re now about to get a boost as well.
To have Alec Bohm running the bases was a nice sight just hours before Sunday’s finale. And the bright side of the news was shared by the manager later. “He’s getting close, now. He feels good,” Thomson said about his $7.7 million slugger, before further adding, “He’s hitting in the cage. I am sure in the next couple of days he’ll be outside hitting, do some machine work.”
Bohm is expected to begin a minor league rehab assignment shortly. His return journey has been a frustrating one. It all started back on July 12, when a Yu Darvish pitch hit him in the ribs at 92.2 mph. After an initial X-ray showed no fracture, Bohm was back in the lineup on July 18. But after he experienced sharp pain again, further scans on July 19th revealed the fractured left rib that led to a 10-day injured list.
By July 30, however, he was finally taking swings and fielding grounders, which put him on pace to return sometime in the mid of August.
Apart from Bohm, suspended reliever José Alvarado is scheduled to return to Philadelphia on Monday, August 4, and is expected to be at the ballpark on Tuesday to rejoin the team.. “He won’t be at the ballpark, but he’ll come to the ballpark on Tuesday,” Thomson said. Alvarado is eligible to return from his 80-game suspension as early as Aug. 19, but a timetable for his rehab assignment has not been announced.
Alvarado is serving an 80-game suspension for PED use. His return will be monumental for the Phillies’ regular-season push; however, he won’t be able to participate in the 2025 postseason if the Phillies qualify.
The production from this dynamic duo of Bohm and Alvarado has been sorely missed by the Phillies and and their return couldn’t have come at a better time.
A Boost for the Bullpen and the Lineup
With a .278 BA, 8 homers, and 42 RBIs, Bohm was at the top of his game when he got injured. Even Alvarado had a great year out of the bullpen, which saw him take over as the primary closing guy with a 2.70 ERA,7 saves, and that electric 99.6 mph four-seam fastball. Losing that sort of productivity isn’t great for any team
The Phillies are to see what veteran reliever David Robertson brings to the table going forward. His return has not been smooth. Thomson, however, saw some positives despite a below-par performance in the minors on Sunday. “He got the velocity up. He gave up a three-run home run with a slider he left in the middle of the plate. I talked to him this morning, and the only thing I’m worried about right now, not worried about, but I’m interested in, is how he is recovering, and he said he feels really good. He threw the 30 pitches the other night and said that although it wasn’t very good, he was happy to throw that many pitches to see how he recovered. And he recovered well, so that’s a good sign,” the skipper said.
Pitcher Joe Ross, who has been out with back spasms, threw a scoreless inning in Sunday’s rehab appearance and could be activated as soon as this week. In addition, Aaron Nola pitched three shutout innings on 47 pitches. He is scheduled to start two more rehab sessions and could be available as early as 15 August per MLB.
With Bohm and Alvarado on their way back, the team is getting the reinforcements it desperately needs. But do they have enough firepower to go all the way?
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