Is Alec Bohm a viable solution at third base? The Phillies are still waiting to find out.

DENVER — Six days went by between Alec Bohm’s infamous three-error misadventure last week and his anticipated return to third base here Monday night.

That’s a lot of hours in Bobby Dickerson’s infield laboratory.

But if the Phillies kept Bohm off the field in part to smooth out some of his rough defensive edges and build back his confidence, Dickerson’s message to the 25-year-old third baseman last week didn’t change much.

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“Just tried to be normal with him,” the infield coach said Monday before Bohm played a mostly clean game in a 4-1 series-opening loss to the Colorado Rockies. “I’m more about playing the position: ‘Hey, this guy might bunt. Look for short hops. Try to use your feet to create long hops.’ I don’t spend a lot of time working on mechanics of throwing or fielding. That kind of stuff is done in high school or something.

“What Alec is, it’s who he is. His throwing slot, his fielding, all those things, it’s just letting it come out.”

And that’s the part that puts a lump in the back of team officials’ throats: What if it doesn’t ever come out?

There’s still time for Bohm to develop into a viable third baseman. When the Phillies drafted him third overall in 2018, they insisted he could stay put even though he’s big (6-foot-5 and 218 pounds) for the position. They doubled down on that belief as he came through the minors. All but 11 of his 147 major-league starts are at third base.

But among the 22 third basemen who have played at least 1,000 innings since 2020, Bohm ranks last in defensive runs saved with 20 less than average, four fewer than Boston’s Rafael Devers and 11 behind Washington’s Maikel Franco, the former Phillie. It’s easier for the Red Sox to overlook Devers’ defense because he has hit 51 homers and slugged .524 since 2020 compared to Bohm’s 11 homers and .392 slugging.

Some of Joe Girardi’s trust in Bohm eroded last August, and the Phillies sent him to triple A. It takes time to rebuild, and judging by the manager’s lineup choices so far, it hasn’t happened yet.

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If Bohm has experienced his nadir at third base, it came eight days ago. He made three throwing errors in three innings April 11 against the New York Mets, and after getting derisively cheered for making a routine play, he was caught on camera telling shortstop Didi Gregorius, “I [expletive] hate this place.” Bohm apologized after the game and received a standing ovation the next night when he came up as a pinch-hitter.

Bohm started only one of the next six games — as a designated hitter Saturday in Miami. Girardi and Dickerson claim Bohm’s absence was neither punitive nor designed to allow more practice time at third base. Instead, they said switch-hitting Johan Camargo earned a run of playing time with his production at the plate. He began the season on a 6-for-14 roll before cooling.

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Regardless, Dickerson didn’t see the need to relive Bohm’s misery against the Mets. They talked briefly through each errant throw, beginning with the ill-advised, off-balance fling of a ball that got deflected by pitcher Ranger Suárez. (Bohm told Dickerson he had made similar plays before; Dickerson suggested that not throwing the ball would have been the wise choice). Then they moved on.

“I’ve had multiple guys in my career have really bad games,” Dickerson said. “I just try to approach it the same way. He’s a young infielder. Probably has a whole lot of expectations that he puts on himself. Sometimes us as human beings want to do a little more than we need to. Truthfully, whatever’s the best version of him is enough.”

Dickerson still believes that. He concedes that Bohm is unlikely to ever win a Gold Glove, but remains confident he will make the routine plays to be successful.

Bohm did that Monday night. He handled two chances against the Rockies, and although a foul pop clanked off his glove, the presence of the tarp along the railing in foul territory made it a difficult play.

As a coach, Dickerson sees his role as making sure Bohm is prepared for every scenario. And Bohm’s mistakes against the Mets weren’t the result of not knowing what to do. They were physical. Maybe they can be improved by repetition. Maybe not. Dickerson knows that, too.

“I tried like hell to be a big-leaguer. I couldn’t be,” said Dickerson, whose playing career spanned seven years and stopped in triple A. “It wasn’t for lack of trying. Sometimes things are just not going to work. There have been some great rookie of the years that never did anything again. At some point — Alec knows this — you’ve got to go out and you’ve got to perform. Because this is the ‘do’ level; this is not the ‘practice’ level. This is the level where you’re expected to do a job.

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“Honestly, I think he’s in a great frame of mind. If someone hits a shot down the line, he’s worked on it 1,000 times. And he’s done well with it in practice. Sooner or later, it’ll translate into a game. Or it won’t.”

For Bohm and the Phillies, the tipping point may be approaching.