August 07, 2025
Eric Hartline/Imagn Images
Kyle Schwarber is authoring one of the most enjoyable hitting seasons in Phillies history.
Following a successful six-game homestand in the immediate aftermath of the trade deadline, the Phillies will have a day off on Thursday before they begin a 10-game road trip against the Texas Rangers, Cincinnati Reds and Washington Nationals.
At this point, it feels as if changes to the team's outfield could come at a moment's notice. Despite his big night on Tuesday, many have run out of patience for veteran Max Kepler, particularly as the buzz surrounding top outfield prospect Justin Crawford continues to grow louder as he thrives in Triple-A.
A new addition has already been made, as the team acquired Harrison Bader at the deadline to help fortify a struggling unit on the grass. Bader has historically been solid against left-handed pitching and struggled against right-handers, but in 2025 he has been very solid against both with slightly better numbers against righties. Bader's first hit with the Phillies was a go-ahead three-run homer against a right-handed reliever. If Crawford is not called up, Bader could line up for more consistent at-bats after only starting in three of his first six games in Philadelphia.
While we wait for any possible news on an outfield shakeup, a batch of other notes on the day off in the latest edition of 5 Phillies thoughts:
Over the last few weeks, MVP chants have become the norm at Citizens Bank Park when Kyle Schwarber comes to the plate in a big moment. He has routinely paid off those chants -- like when he crushed a grand slam on Monday for his 40th home run of the season. According to various betting markets, Schwarber has leapfrogged Chicago Cubs star Pete Crow-Armstrong in the National League MVP race during his post-All-Star heater.
However, Schwarber is still a significant underdog in second place, as Shohei Ohtani is the overwhelming favorite to repeat as NL MVP. Ohtani has, by most measures, been a more valuable offensive player than Schwarber this season. He is also back to pitching, and while Ohtani has only been excellent in a small sample on the mound, he has continued to ramp up his pitching workload and should have a fairly healthy number of innings under his belt by the time this award is actually being voted on.
Here is how Schwarber and Ohtani compare offensively in 2025, with Ohtani's Wins Above Replacement as a pitcher baked into the equation:
| Category | Kyle Schwarber | Shohei Ohtani |
| AVG | .256 | .276 |
| OBP | .379 | .381 |
| SLG | .585 | .606 |
| HR | 40 | 39 |
| RBI | 94 | 75 |
| R | 79 | 106 |
| wRC+ (average: 100) | 164 | 167 |
| SB | 10 | 16 |
| fWAR | 3.9 | 5.9 (5.1 hitting, 0.8 pitching) |
Even as he has surged into second place in the race, Schwarber actually winning the NL MVP trophy feels like a pipe dream. That is not an indictment of the year he is authoring, which has been one of the most thrilling seasons in recent Phillies history. It is a testament to Ohtani's historic greatness; he sets the bar remarkably high with his offense and is now back to dealing as a pitcher, too.
When the Phillies signed David Robertson to a major-league contract covering the remainder of the season on July 21, the 40-year-old reliever took an optional assignment to Triple-A to ramp up. He could have been called up on Tuesday after spending 15 days with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, but he has struggled a bit in his few outings. Robertson's season debut with the Phillies remains on hold. When will it come?
"When he's ready," Phillies manager Rob Thomson said on Tuesday. "He's still trying to get his command. Velocity's going up, which is good, but he's still trying to get his command of all his pitches... It's like he's in spring training. He's got control, it's just that he's got to get his command."
Robertson made another appearance on Wednesday and once again his stuff went up a tick or two. He is probably not all that focused on results, but after a string of lengthy innings it is at least slightly encouraging to see Robertson only needed 15 pitches to work a scoreless inning with a pair of strikeouts.
The addition of superstar closer Jhoan Duran has certainly eased the burden that Robertson will carry whenever he comes up, and the excitement stemming from Duran's early showings has overshadowed the delay Robertson is experiencing. Duran locking down the closer role has enabled other Phillies relievers to settle into more stable roles, and Robertson will eventually be another beneficiary of that. The same will be true when José Alvarado's suspension is lifted; he is eligible to return to the bullpen on Aug. 19.
But in October, the Phillies will need at least one right-handed reliever outside of Duran and Orion Kerkering to be a viable option. Robertson probably has a better chance of being that guy than Max Lazar or Jordan Romano. Robertson has to come up and prove that he is the same guy who thrived with the Texas Rangers last year.
Thomson, who will soon begin his fifth stint managing or coaching Robertson, has complete faith that Robertson is not going to rush himself onto the major-league roster before he is ready to contribute.
"He's very honest and open," Thomson said. "He wants to be ready to go and perform when he gets here."
Marsh went 0-for-29 in a hellish month of April, and when he went on the injured list it felt hard to imagine him ever getting to a place in 2025 when his season-long numbers would look satisfactory. But despite still being unable to figure out left-handed pitching, Marsh has firmly been above-average at the plate this season. Marsh doubled and homered in the Phillies' 5-0 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday, driving in a pair of runs and scoring two.
While Thomson spoke highly of the quality of Marsh's at-bats against lefties a few times during the Phillies' six-game homestand, he is still slashing only .200/.281/.260 against southpaws this season. He does not figure to have much a role on this team when the opposition has a left-hander on the mound. But he has become a central figure against right-handed pitching. Since being reinstated from the injured list on May 3, Marsh has been so outstanding against righties that it has dragged all of his season-long marks into solid territory:
| Statistic | Brandon Marsh vs. RHP since May 3 |
| AVG | .321 |
| OBP | .382 |
| SLG | .488 |
| wRC+ (average: 100) | 152 |
Marsh's overall wRC+ in 2025 is 107, meaning he has been seven percent better than the average hitter. For that to happen despite such massive struggles in increased opportunity against lefties and the aforementioned 0-for-April is a testament to how good Marsh has become against right-handed pitching.
Marsh very well may never grow into a true "everyday" player, and there will always be a subset of Philadelphia that resents him for it. The word "platoon" has driven many folks up a wall over the last few years. But if Marsh sits versus lefties and provides strong offense against righties, then pairs it with excellent defense in left field or solid defense in center field, he will continue to be an extremely valuable part of any major-league team. There will be a brutal slump or two each year for Marsh, and he will strike out more than one would hope for. But over the course of any large sample, he will perform against right-handed pitching.
Painter's major-league debut happening by this point on the calendar once seemed inevitable, but the team's top prospect still does not have a clear path to the majors. The Phillies have a stacked starting pitching rotation that has largely remained healthy, and Painter has had some difficulties with command since being promoted to Triple-A.
On Tuesday, Thomson was asked what he wants to see from Painter moving forward. The directions were simple.
"Just keep going," Thomson said. "Just keep going. Stay healthy. Pound the zone."
A few hours later, Painter started for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. The results were not ideal. Crawford misplayed a fly ball in center field, and Painter exhibited poor fastball command. The result: a 34-pitch, four-run opening frame. Painter ended up allowing five runs and walking four batters in four innings of work. Of his 90 pitches, only 47 were strikes.
Thomson remains a steadfast believer that Painter has the ability to be an excellent major-league starter. But now the team is showing more patience for a young pitcher in his first season back from Tommy John surgery.
"Coming back from this injury takes a while," Thomson said. "A lot of times it's two years. Look at [Miami Marlins starter Sandy] Alcantara. A number of guys, it's usually the second year before it really comes together. We'll just have to wait and see."
Nola's second rehab start for Lehigh Valley came on Wednesday, and the veteran right-hander was able to begin climbing in terms of velocity. In 3.2 innings, Nola's fastball averaged out at 91.3 miles per hour after only sitting at 90.0 in his first rehab outing. Even before Nola went on the injured list, he was having far and away the worst season of his baseball career in part due to diminished velocity. Nola has never needed to overpower hitters to succeed, but there was a basic threshold of velocity he could not reach.
It sounds like one more rehab start before a return to the Phillies is the plan for Nola, and how the 32-year-old looks upon stepping back onto a big-league mound will be one of the most significant subplots of the last six weeks of this season. For months, the idea of Jesús Luzardo or Ranger Suárez shifting to the bullpen in October has been discussed like a given. The Phillies will need another lefty back there with Alvarado ineligible for postseason play; Suárez has plenty of experience in that role and Luzardo has the requisite stuff to theoretically shine in a relief role.
In 2025, the NLDS will feature two days off. Barring an injury in the postseason, the Phillies will only need three starting pitchers until they reach the NLCS. At that point, the idea of Luzardo or Suárez being used in relief is reliant on Nola -- or even Painter, in theory -- being able to join the starting rotation for the remainder of the postseason. Nola has thrown some gems in past Octobers, and he has also had his fair share of rough outings. There was never a doubt, however, that Nola was one of the team's best options to take the mound in those spots. But will the Phillies feel similarly comfortable when Nola takes the mound in October of 2025?
