The Phillies’ latest defensive shuffle has been messy enough to raise eyebrows, but it may also have opened an unexpected door for Bryson Stott.
The chain reaction started with the addition of second baseman Luis Arraez, which triggered a sweeping realignment across the field in order to keep Alec Bohm in the starting lineup. It’s the kind of move that can leave the whole defense looking like it was assembled on the fly. Even so, Stott may be the one player who benefits most from the chaos.
Rawlings hands out Gold Glove Awards each year to the best defenders at every position, with separate honors in both leagues. Since 2022, there’s also been a utility Gold Glove for the player who excels while moving around the diamond. That extra award could matter for Stott, who has been a finalist at second base before but still hasn’t won one.
Stott, the Phillies’ 2019 first-round pick, was the club’s everyday shortstop as a rookie in 2022 before moving to second base over the next few seasons because of Trea Turner. He opened the 2026 season with 107 games at second before last week’s Arraez-driven shakeup sent him to third.
The switch has been rough for some Phillies - Bryce Harper, in particular, is dealing with knee problems after shifting back to right field - but Stott has taken to the hot corner quickly. Through his first nine games there, he has not made an error and has already turned in several standout plays.
That’s a third basemen right there 👊 pic.twitter.com/lqJtieQJ2n
- NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) August 12, 2026
The 28-year-old has already built a reputation as a premium defender at second. In fact, he owns the highest career fielding percentage ever at the position, narrowly ahead of former Phillie Placido Polanco. If he keeps flashing leather at third, he could put himself in position for a utility Gold Glove when the season ends.
That award isn’t reserved only for the classic Swiss Army knife types who bounce all over the field, either. Think Ben Zobrist or Brendan Donovan. Stott doesn’t fit that mold, but the recent winners show that a player doesn’t need to cover every inch of the diamond to qualify.
Ha-Seong Kim won the utility Gold Glove for the Padres in 2023 after logging 106 games at second, 32 at third and 20 at shortstop. Jared Triolo followed a similar path for the Pirates in 2024, spending 61 games at third and 47 at second while picking up a few more starts elsewhere.
Stott still has work to do in a crowded National League field. Both league winners are now in his division, with Javier Sanoja and Mauricio Dubón standing in the way. But with his track record and the way he’s handled the move to third, he’s very much in the mix.
The bigger picture in Philadelphia is still shaky. The team’s defensive musical chairs, built around Bohm, looks questionable at best, and it’s unclear how long it will last.
Even if Harper eventually shifts back to first base, Stott appears likely to stay at third for now, and maybe beyond this season if Bohm departs in free agency. The Phillies may not have planned this cleanly, but their latest move could end up giving Bryson Stott a real shot at a Gold Glove.
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