Phillies’ Alec Bohm sits out for the fourth straight game with a sore left hand
"It’s getting better,” said manager Rob Thomson, who said the third baseman could return in the Marlins series, which starts Thursday.
TORONTO — Alec Bohm hasn’t played in a game since Thursday, when he exited in the third inning against the Braves with left hand soreness. Tuesday was no different. The third baseman was missing from the starting lineup ahead of the Phillies’ game against the Blue Jays, and has now missed four games in a row.
“He’s still … it’s getting better,” said manager Rob Thomson. “It’s not getting better as quickly as we thought. Make sure that we knock this thing out. I’m always afraid — foot injuries, hand injuries, it affects people’s swings. And then they get into bad habits. And then they’re losing confidence.
“So, we’ll keep monitoring day to day, I would think probably it’s going to be Miami. It’s not going to be an [injured list stint].” The Phillies open a four-game series in Miami on Thursday.
Bohm played catch in right field before the game with physical therapist Alex Plum. Thomson said he was going to take some dry swings if he was able — meaning swings without making contact with a baseball. Bohm appeared to hurt his hand on a swing against the Braves. X-rays were negative.
» READ MORE: What to make of Bryce Harper’s health, why scouts like the Phillies’ chances, and other takeaways
The final step will be for him to take swings at 100% effort, which he hasn’t done yet. But despite the delay, the Phillies are optimistic that he will be back sooner rather than later. They can afford to err on the side of caution right now.
“He’s making progress,” Thomson said. “It’s just slow.”
Walker bullpen experiment begins
Taijuan Walker will sit in the bullpen on Tuesday night. This is will be his first time pitching in relief since 2021, when he made one outing out of the bullpen for the Mets. He made three relief appearances for the Mariners in 2014.
Thomson said he won’t plan to bring Walker in during the middle of an inning. He plans to give Walker extra time to prepare, giving him plenty of notice that he is about to come in.
“If I know [Tyler] Phillips is coming out, [José] Alvarado, you’re in, Taijuan, you’re next,” Thomson said. “So that gives him some extra time.”
Thomson removed Walker from the starting rotation last week after his ERA climbed to 6.50.
» READ MORE: Taijuan Walker hopes his move to the Phillies’ bullpen can help him carve out a postseason role
Part of the reason the Phillies hadn’t tried Walker in a bullpen role before was because he has a longer pregame routine. So, it will take him some time to adjust to new time constraints that he has to operate under.
Thomson used the same strategy — bridging to a reliever — when the Phillies transitioned Spencer Turnbull into a bullpen role earlier in the season. Turnbull, like Walker, had not pitched out of the bullpen much at all, either in the minor leagues or the majors. But having that heads up was helpful for him.