The Dodgers just offered the Phillies a blueprint they should not ignore: when the moment demands it, even the biggest star has to move.
That was the lesson in Game 3 of the National League Division Series, when Los Angeles went into a tied series against the Atlanta Braves and manager Dave Roberts made an uncommon call. Shohei Ohtani, the greatest player in the history of the sport, was dropped from his usual spot and slid down to fifth in the order. It was a clear sign the Dodgers were not going to let reputation make the lineup card for them.
The move came after Ohtani had been working through what was described as some kind of injury. He had not looked like his usual elite self over the final two months of the regular season, and the struggles followed him into October. Through the NLDS, the 32-year-old managed just two hits in 16 plate appearances.
Roberts still made the adjustment anyway, with a trip to the doorstep of the World Series on the line. The Dodgers won Games 3 and 4 to close out the series, and Ohtani finished the clincher hitless in four at-bats.
For the Phillies, that should land as more than just another Dodgers note. It ought to be a warning and, at the same time, a model for whoever is in charge in 2027, whether that ends up being Don Mattingly or someone else.
The basic point is simple: Roberts was willing to make the best player on his team uncomfortable if it improved the team’s chances. Philadelphia has too often done the opposite.
That problem has shown up in more than one place. Nick Castellanos is the clearest example.
Even as his production kept sliding, he was allowed to play all 162 games in 2024. The result was hardly uplifting, and things only got messier later, when he brought alcohol into the dugout and mouthed off to Rob Thomson after being removed from a game the following year.
The same sort of caution has applied elsewhere. Trea Turner has stayed at shortstop despite rough defense, while Bryson Stott, an all-time great second base defender, has not been moved over to short even though doing so would improve the club’s run prevention. The Phillies have avoided annoying their $300 million mistake.
Bryce Harper has been part of that dynamic too. Fans and analysts have long argued that the on-base machine should lead off, but Harper has made his opposition to that idea known. Rather than push back, the Phillies have gone along with it and kept him in the three-hole for most of his time with the team.
The contrast with the Dodgers is hard to miss. Roberts made a decisive change with a four-time MVP in Ohtani, and there was no public fallout. The team simply put itself in a better position to win.
That is the standard the Phillies should be chasing. Trea Turner and Bryce Harper are not Shohei Ohtani, and if Ohtani can accept a shake-up for the good of the lineup, there is no reason Philadelphia should keep treating its own stars as untouchable.
Right now, the Phillies’ issue is bigger than talent alone. They are dealing with a leadership problem, too. And in a sport where the whole thing hinges on the group, that kind of drift is hard to survive.
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Painters role matters because the Phillies are already looking ahead to 2027 and beyond, where his development is tied to the shape of the rotation. He was part of the push that kept the team moving and gave it a foothold in October, and his presence only sharpened the sense that Philadelphia needs him to become more than a promising arm. The bigger question now is how much of that late-season progress can carry over when the expectation shifts from recovery mode to frontline responsibility. [Read more 🡒]