The Phillies went into the trade deadline on a six game winning streak thanks in part to a four-game sweep in Pittsburgh. Perhaps that’s what was needed to nudge the front office to acquire the reinforcements they did before Tuesday’s deadline. Philadelphia did drop its first post-deadline game in Atlanta but was able to split the two-game series. Now they will come home for four against the now Juan Soto-less Nationals with their new acquisitions as well as the returning Jean Segura.
Stock Up
Alec Bohm
Bohm probably would’ve gotten more buzz for NL Player of the month for July if it weren’t for Austin Riley. Nevertheless, the Phillies third baseman hit .434 in 20 games during the month, the best average in all of baseball. Most notably, Bohm finally started to hit for some power as well, as his slugging percentage of .632 was ninth best in baseball. Bohm’s 1.088 OPS was seventh best in the majors and fourth best in the NL. His resurgence has earned him a promotion to the three hole in the lineup.
J.T. Realmuto
Much like Bohm, Realmuto was also on fire in July. He hit .354 in 19 games with an OPS of 1.065 and 5 home runs. Realmuto’s bat had been a disappointment to this point in the season, but all of a sudden, he has raised his season average to .262 with an OPS of .753. This is all while remaining among the best catchers in defensive metrics. The Phillies desperately needed Realmuto to step up after Schwarber and Hoskins cooled off and he has done just that.
Nick Castellanos
Don’t look now, but Castellanos is hitting .414 over the last week in six games. He picked the perfect time to end his homerless drought with a two-run shot to dead center on Wednesday that gave a stagnant Phillies offense the lead in Atlanta. It was Castellanos first home run since June 30th. It’s still too early to see if Castellanos has finally awoken from his months-long slumber, but the first signs of life are there.
David Robertson
Robertson was thrilled to get a second chance with the club he made just seven appearances with over two seasons in 2019-2020. He made a strong first impression on Wednesday, retiring the Braves 1-2-3 with two strikeouts for his first save as a Phillie. Robertson’s presence on the roster allows manager Rob Thomson to mix and match more with the revitalized bullpen, and he did just that by deploying Seranthony Dominguez and Jose Alvarado in the eighth with Robertson in the ninth.
Ranger Suárez
Suárez was excellent in his three starts in July after returning from injury on 7/16. In those three starts, Suárez did not allow an earned run and allowed just three total unearned runs to the Braves on 7/25. He posted 16 strikeouts in 16 innings as the Phillies slowly worked him back. The lefty also had just two walks, an encouraging sign following his periodical struggles with command this season.
Stock Down
Corey Knebel
Knebel was roughed up for the first time in over a month on Tuesday night. He had not allowed a run dating back to June 19th before being touched for five earned runs on five hits by the Braves in just 0.2 innings pitched as part of a bullpen game. The Braves made solid contact against Knebel, with a hard line drive to center for a double and a two-run homer. His command issues also reared their head with a wild pitch that scored a run.
Kyle Schwarber
Schwarber is still providing home runs but that’s essentially been it for the last 15 games. He’s hitting .136 over that span with an OBP of just .200. He has 4 walks over that span with a whopping 24 strikeouts. Nevertheless, he does have five home runs over that span with 9 RBIs. In fact, those home runs are five of his last eight hits. If Schwarber isn’t going to hit for average, he will need to start getting on base again at a good clip along with the power he’s provided.
Didi Gregorious
Gregorious’ playing time is looking to be in peril with the impending return of Jean Segura. Gregorious is hitting .115 over his last 15 games with a pitiful .303 OPS. Segura’s return means that there will only be one open spot in the Phillies infield, and Bryson Stott is the favorite to receive the most playing time at short with Segura at 2B. The Phillies also acquired a defense first SS in Edmundo Sosa prior to the deadline, so it appears likely that Gregorious is heading to the bench with drastically reduced playing time.
Odubel Herrera and Jeurys Familia
The Phillies trade deadline acquisitions spelled the end to these two failed free agent signings. Both were designated for assignment to clear room on the 40-man roster. Herrera was hitting .238 with a .658 OPS in 62 games while Familia sported a 6.09 ERA through 38 appearances out of the bullpen. The two players combined for -0.3 WAR. Herrera signed a one-year contract for just over $1M in the offseason after hitting free agency following a disappointing 6-year career in Philadelphia. Familia was a puzzling signing this offseason when he signed a one-year deal for $6M.
