The Philadelphia Phillies, tied with the New York Mets for the worst file in Major League Baseball (9-19) to begin the 2026 season, have fired supervisor Rob Thomson, per Matt Gelb of The Athletic. Thomson, 62, has led the crew since taking up for Joe Girardi through the 2022 season.
Rob Thomson had a strong tenure with the Phillies
Thomson’s tenure with Philadelphia has been strong regardless of the poor begin to 2026. Thomson ranks tenth in Phillies historical past with 355 wins and led the membership to the 2022 World Collection after Girardi’s dismissal, dropping in six video games to the Houston Astros. Thomson led the crew to 3 extra playoff appearances (2023-25), together with a loss final season within the NLDS to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Per a press release issued by the Phillies, bench coach Don Mattingly will function interim supervisor at some stage in the 2026 season. Third base coach Dusty Wathan will take Mattingly’s place as bench coach, with Triple-A supervisor Anthony Contreras becoming a member of the employees to deal with third base teaching duties.
Thomson is the second supervisor to be fired this season, with the Boston Purple Sox additionally firing supervisor Alex Cora over the weekend. Cora has robust ties to the Phillies’ president of baseball operations, Dave Dombrowski, who initially employed Cora to the job in 2018. Dombrowski and Cora would go on to win the 2018 World Collection collectively. Hypothesis that the 2 may reunite in Philadelphia has already begun, although it appears possible any such hiring would wait till the offseason.
Rob Thomson paid the worth for Dave Dombrowski’s poor roster development
Whereas firing Thomson might ship a shockwave via the crew’s clubhouse, as he was well-liked amongst gamers, the group has nonetheless failed to supply. The Phillies’ offense ranks close to the underside of the league in batting common (.219) and OPS (.625), whereas scoring the third-fewest runs (102).
The pitching employees hasn’t been a lot better, with the third-worst ERA (5.13) and third-most runs allowed (156). Proper-hander Aaron Nola and left-hander Jesus Luzardo have particularly struggled, with Nola at 1-3 with a 6.03 ERA via six begins and Luzardo at 1-3 with a 6.91 ERA.
Dombrowski did little to complement the roster this offseason, opting to re-sign designated hitter Kyle Schwarber (5 years, $150 million) and catcher J.T. Realmuto (three years, $45 million). Throughout Dombrowski’s tenure, he has launched eight of his free agent signings, with right-hander Taijuan Walker being the newest.
Thomson is now not round to take the blame for Philadelphia’s struggles. The gamers will now must step up and produce.
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