The Philadelphia Phillies, tied with the New York Mets for the worst report in Major League Baseball (9-19) to begin the 2026 season, have fired supervisor Rob Thomson, per Matt Gelb of The Athletic. Thomson, 62, has led the crew since taking on for Joe Girardi throughout the 2022 season.
Rob Thomson had a strong tenure with the Phillies
Thomson’s tenure with Philadelphia has been strong regardless of the poor begin to 2026. Thomson ranks tenth in Phillies historical past with 355 wins and led the membership to the 2022 World Sequence after Girardi’s dismissal, dropping in six video games to the Houston Astros. Thomson led the crew to 3 extra playoff appearances (2023-25), together with a loss final season within the NLDS to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Per a press release issued by the Phillies, bench coach Don Mattingly will function interim supervisor in the course of the 2026 season. Third base coach Dusty Wathan will take Mattingly’s place as bench coach, with Triple-A supervisor Anthony Contreras becoming a member of the workers to deal with third base teaching duties.
Thomson is the second supervisor to be fired this season, with the Boston Crimson Sox additionally firing supervisor Alex Cora over the weekend. Cora has robust ties to the Phillies’ president of baseball operations, Dave Dombrowski, who initially employed Cora to the job in 2018. Dombrowski and Cora would go on to win the 2018 World Sequence collectively. Hypothesis that the 2 might reunite in Philadelphia has already begun, although it appears seemingly any such hiring would wait till the offseason.
Rob Thomson paid the worth for Dave Dombrowski’s poor roster building
Whereas firing Thomson could ship a shockwave by means of the crew’s clubhouse, as he was well-liked amongst gamers, the group has nonetheless failed to supply. The Phillies’ offense ranks close to the underside of the league in batting common (.219) and OPS (.625), whereas scoring the third-fewest runs (102).
The pitching workers hasn’t been a lot better, with the third-worst ERA (5.13) and third-most runs allowed (156). Proper-hander Aaron Nola and left-hander Jesus Luzardo have particularly struggled, with Nola at 1-3 with a 6.03 ERA by means of six begins and Luzardo at 1-3 with a 6.91 ERA.
Dombrowski did little to complement the roster this offseason, opting to re-sign designated hitter Kyle Schwarber (5 years, $150 million) and catcher J.T. Realmuto (three years, $45 million). Throughout Dombrowski’s tenure, he has launched eight of his free agent signings, with right-hander Taijuan Walker being the newest.
Thomson is not round to take the blame for Philadelphia’s struggles. The gamers will now must step up and produce.
