As the Phillies close out August and head into September, Alec Bohm has become one of the biggest reasons their offense looks sharper.
Philadelphia has climbed the standings in a meaningful way, even with the Braves also playing well and making life difficult in the National League East. The Phillies still have ground to cover, but their magic number is moving in the right direction, and they remain in position to finish as the top wild card team.
That kind of push matters for a veteran club that has already shown it is willing to be aggressive. At the trade deadline, the Phillies went after upgrades to improve their October outlook, and now they’re leaning on production already in the room to keep the momentum going.
Bohm has answered the call.
After shifting to first base following the trade that brought in Luis Arraez, the former All-Star has given Philadelphia a strong month at the plate. His July offered the first real hint that things were turning.
In that month, he slashed 226/.301/.409 with four home runs and 16 RBI. The batting average wasn’t eye-popping, but the power started to show up, and that carried into August.
Before the final game of the month against the Diamondbacks, Bohm was slashing .337/.396/.453 with one home run and 17 RBI. Even through some rough stretches earlier in the season, he has remained one of the team’s better run producers. His August surge has helped lift the Phillies’ offense to another level.
The right side of the plate has been a need for Philadelphia, and Bohm and Trea Turner were always among the internal options capable of solving it. Bohm’s big August has given the Phillies exactly what they were hoping for, and the next step is simple: keep it rolling into September.
In Other News...
Phillies May Have A Luis Arraez Problem They Didn't Expect
Since the trade deadline, the Phillies have looked like the kind of club that can justify a bold move in the middle of a pennant race, and Luis Arraez has been a big reason why. Philadelphia has played like the best team in baseball over that stretch, with Arraez settling in as a steady bat and showing improved defense while batting behind Bryce Harper, a spot that has helped deepen the lineup and make the offense harder to navigate.
The complication for the Phillies may be less about what Arraez has done on the field than what it could mean next. His production has only boosted his value as he heads toward free agency, and the strong finish has reportedly put him in position to draw serious attention this winter. For a team that just found a rhythm with him in the lineup, the most important question may be whether that fit lasts beyond this season. [Read more 🡒]
Phillies Just Turned Gage Wood Into A Frustrating September Debate
Gage Wood spent his first full professional season doing enough to keep his name in the conversation, working his way through High-A and Double-A while giving the Phillies a reason to think about what comes next. The 2025 first-round pick logged 86 innings over 24 starts, a solid enough line to suggest the organization has a real arm on its hands, even if the production has been uneven at times.
When September arrived, though, the Phillies went in a different direction. Instead of giving Wood a look with the expanded roster, they added right-hander Grant Holman, a more experienced but lower-ceiling arm for the stretch run, which leaves Wood stuck in the awkward space prospect pitchers often find themselves in at this stage. He has made progress, but for now the path to Philadelphia remains a little more frustrating than expected. [Read more 🡒]
Phillies Are Finally Peaking At The Exact Time Fans Hoped
August ended with the Phillies playing the kind of baseball that can change the mood of a clubhouse and a city at the same time. A 21-7 month tied for the 10th-best winning percentage in team history, and it came with a run of dominance the franchise has not seen since August 1991, when Philadelphia last swept four series of three games or more in a single month. It was the sort of stretch built on a deep mix of pitching and timely production, with Cristopher Snchez, Andrew Painter, Aaron Nola, Zack Wheeler and Bryson Stott all playing notable roles.
The timing matters just as much as the numbers. Philadelphia did not just catch fire in a random patch of the schedule, it did so after the trade deadline reshaped the roster and gave the club more ways to keep winning when the games start tightening up. For a fan base that has been waiting for the group to hit its stride, this is the kind of late-summer surge that can make the rest of the season feel very different, even if the biggest questions are still ahead. [Read more 🡒]