Phillies giving Alec Bohm a needed rest day: Could Edmundo Sosa see more playing time at 3B going forward?

PHILADELPHIA -- Alec Bohm is getting a rest day. A much-needed one.

After going 0-for-2 Wednesday night and having his batting average dip to .159, Phillies manager Don Mattingly decided the best thing for the slumping Bohm is to give him a rest day on Thursday.

Edmundo Sosa Steps Into the Spotlight

Edmundo Sosa will get the start for Bohm at third base, a night after he went 2-for-4 with the go-ahead hit in the eighth inning of Wednesday's win. Bohm will be available to pinch hit off the bench, but Mattingly thought this was the right time to give him a mental break.

"I encouraged him not to hit today, because he's been working so hard hitting all the time," Mattingly said. "You can't tell a guy not to hit, because we're still gonna use him today.

"Encourage him to take a reset day of grinding, grinding, grinding. Take a step back and then go after it."

The .159 batting average isn't the only thing hurting Bohm, as he also has an OPS of .433. Of the 178 qualified hitters, Bohm is 176th in batting average and 177th in OPS. Only Jake Cronenworth and Cedric Mullins have lower batting averages, and Mullins has a lower OPS.

"I'm sure he's pressing. He wants to do well," Mattingly said. "Just trying hard for sure. He's a guy that, I've said it probably a lot at this point, he's gonna hit. I believe that until the day I'm not on this earth."

The Numbers Behind Bohm’s May Struggle

Mattingly believes Bohm will turn things around, but the slumping third baseman is hitting .200 with a .473 OPS in May. The power numbers aren't there and neither is the solid contact on the ball.

The Phillies are trying to get to the bottom of Bohm's slump. They are studying trends of what went well for Bohm last season when he turned things around in May. Bohm hit .324 with an .873 OPS in May after hitting just .221 with a .526 OPS in March/April last year.

Biometrics and the Search for a Solution

"Everybody's looking at it. The biometrics and all that stuff that show you exactly where he was when it was going good compared to where he is right now," Mattingly said. "Everyone's looking into it. You're trying to figure out solutions.

"Most of the time a guy catches a feel, gets a couple knocks, and all of a sudden he's off to the races. That's what I've seen in the past."

The results just haven't been there for Bohm, who may need more than a day to get back on track. Bryce Harper made his case for Bryson Stott to play second base every day, and Edmundo Sosa needs to be in the lineup multiple times a week.

Is the "Odd Man Out" Narrative Growing?

Bohm could be the odd man out and may need to be for a few days.

The Phillies don't want Bohm to change his mentality towards hitting. Mattingly, a career .307 hitter who had seven seasons hitting over .300, always wanted to hit his way out of a slump.

Don Mattingly’s Vote of Confidence

There's a reason why he thinks Bohm will turn it around.

"You're gonna get that with most of the guys that are competitive," Mattingly said. "They don't look at things like 'oh I'm gonna stop hitting, that will help me hit.' You don't get guys at this level that have gotten here without saying 'gotta keep working, gotta keep going.'

"Really wouldn't want it any other way."

Bohm's biggest advocate is Mattingly, who knows his third baseman can hit the baseball. While it may only be a day or two, Mattingly will ride with Bohm no matter the struggles.

"We're gonna need him to be himself," Mattingly said. "He's gonna get a lot of big hits for us. You guys are gonna forget what happened in May when he's hitting down the stretch and driving in runs.

"He's part of our club. He's gonna be a part of it. And he's gonna hit."

Article from 97.3 ESPN Phillies insider, Jeff Kerr, who you can follow on X at @JeffKerrPHL. Kerr has covered the Phillies for CBS 3 in Philadelphia and the Eagles and the NFL for CBS Sports.  He currently covers the Eagles for Sports Illustrated.