Alec Bohm and Austin Hays making progress on injured list; J.T. Realmuto likely back vs. Mets

Phillies manager Rob Thomson has emphasized that he doesn’t just want to win the National League East, or the NL — he wants to have the best record in baseball. It’s hard to blame him. If the Phillies achieve that goal, they will have home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. And that advantage is very real.

Since Citizens Bank Park opened in 2004, the Phillies have gone 28-13 in home playoff games. According to MLB, that .683 winning percentage is the best of any team in any stadium in postseason history.

“No doubt [it’s an advantage],” Thomson said. “I think it helps our guys with their energy and the way they go about their business, and I think it affects other teams, too.”

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The problem, of late, is that the Phillies are banged up. The balance between resting players ahead of what should be a lengthy playoff run, and playing them so the Phillies can win as many games as possible, is a delicate one.

“I think it’s a case-by-case basis as far as health is concerned,” Thomson said. “But our No. 1 goal is to win games, and we’re not holding back on that.”

With that in mind, here are a few injury updates.

Alec Bohm, who is on the 10-day injured list with a left hand strain, took ground balls at third base before Monday’s game. He took some dry swings — swings without making contact with a baseball — as well. He was also expected to do some work off the tee.

Thomson said he’d need to see Bohm have consecutive days of swinging pain-free to feel like he is in a good spot. Bohm said he is erring on the side of caution.

“At this point in the year, I’d rather take a couple of extra days and not have to deal with it the rest of the year, rather than put Band-Aids on it all year,” Bohm said on Monday.

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Bohm reiterated that this injury was comparable to a hand injury he suffered in 2021, shortly after he was sent down to triple A.

“I don’t remember specifically, exactly how I felt, exactly how I was feeling in the days after, weeks after, and how long it took to start 100% again,” he said. “But it’s a similar thing.”

Bohm missed 16 days with that 2021 injury. It’s unclear how much more time he’ll need now, but he feels he is trending in the right direction.

“I can tell it’s getting better each day,” he said. “It’s just getting over that last hurdle of really letting it go. We can protect it, I can manipulate my swing, and whatever, but that’s honestly not going to [work].”

Catcher J.T. Realmuto is not on the injured list but is still waiting for the swelling to subside in his bruised left knee, injured when he fouled a pitch off it on Friday. He was supposed to catch a bullpen session on Monday but didn’t because of the swelling. Thomson said Realmuto will likely return during the Mets series that starts Friday.

“[He is] better,” Thomson said of Realmuto. “The swelling is coming down. I would think we’ll see him probably in the Mets series. Could be sooner but we’ll see.”

Thomson added: “We want to make sure the fluid is out of his knee. We want to see him catch a bullpen. We thought maybe there was a chance he was going to catch a bullpen today but didn’t get there, so he still needs to do some work.”

Catcher Rafael Marchán would have been a candidate to return to the Phillies if he hadn’t injured his left shoulder while sliding in late August. Marchán, who was placed on the seven-day injured list on Aug. 30, is expected to play on Tuesday for triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Outfielder Austin Hays, who is on the 10-day injured list with a kidney infection, is making progress. He isn’t as fatigued as he was a few days ago, but still isn’t ready to rejoin the club.

“He came in [Sunday], did his throwing program,” Thomson said. “Did a lower-body workout. He said he feels better but his leg still feels heavy. So I think he’s still dealing with some affects of the kidney infection. But I think he’s getting better.”

Thomson said he wasn’t sure of an exact timeline for Hays but expects it to be a few days.

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Infielder Edmundo Sosa, who is on the 10-day injured list with back spasms, is still sore. But Thomson said he doesn’t expect him to require more recovery time than the 10 days allotted on his IL stint. Sosa was placed on the injured list Sunday.

Kyle Schwarber was named National League player of the week on Monday … The Phillies recalled left-handed pitcher Tyler Gilbert from Lehigh Valley on Monday, and optioned pitcher Seth Johnson. Johnson made his major league debut on Sunday, allowing nine earned runs on eight hits in 2⅓ innings. Kolby Allard, who is eligible to be called back up on Tuesday, is likely to pitch in the fifth starter’s spot on Saturday.