Phillies infielder Alec Bohm is off to a rough start in 2025 following an offseason filled with trade speculation. Although he was viewed as a likely trade candidate throughout the winter, the Phillies ultimately held onto him. Through his first 11 games, Bohm has posted a disappointing .160/.176/.180 slash line, with no home runs and just three RBIs. His advanced stats are equally concerning — a -1 wRC+, -0.5 fWAR, .161 wOBA, and a .200 BABIP. Among qualified players, only Willson Contreras has posted worse marks in wRC+ and fWAR, while Dylan Crews has matched his fWAR with a slightly worse wRC+.
Despite these struggles, there’s still time for Bohm to rebound — the season is still in its early stages.
Signs Pointing to Possible Bad Luck
Bohm’s poor results might be partly attributed to bad luck. He’s striking out 19.6% of the time and walking at just a 2.0% clip, the latter tying him for the lowest walk rate among players with at least one walk. Still, underlying metrics hint at potential improvement: his .180 slugging percentage is well below his .442 expected slugging (xSLG), and his .161 wOBA falls short of his .314 expected wOBA (xwOBA). According to Baseball Savant, Bohm ranks in the 60th percentile for xSLG and 45th for xwOBA. He’s also improved his barrel rate and hard-hit rate compared to last season, and his contact rate of 88.9% is a career high. His 50.6% swing rate shows he’s still aggressive, but perhaps too much so at times.
Batting Order Shake-Up
In response to his slump, Bohm was bumped down to the seventh spot in the batting order for Thursday’s game against the Braves, with Nick Castellanos moving up to the cleanup role. Typically, Bohm bats third versus lefties and fourth against right-handers, depending on who leads off — Trea Turner or Kyle Schwarber. With Bohm slumping, he might continue hitting seventh or even eighth, possibly slotting between lefties Bryson Stott and Brandon Marsh to help balance the lineup.
Effect on the Phillies’ Overall Play
Bohm’s early-season slump has taken a toll on the Phillies’ lineup. While Edmundo Sosa is off to a strong start, manager Rob Thomson told MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki that Bohm is expected to stay in the lineup. Kody Clemens, a lefty with minimal playing time so far, isn’t likely to take over Bohm’s role. One issue has been Bohm’s tendency to ground into double plays — he’s already done so three times — and his impatience at the plate. A notable instance came on April 5 against the Dodgers, when he ended the game by grounding into a double play on the first pitch. For Bohm to dig himself out of this rut, he’ll need to adopt a more disciplined approach — something several of his teammates have done with success.