Sunday marked the return of Alec Bohm to the team’s lineup from a lengthy stay on the injured list. He came back with a few hits including a three-run home run that (temporarily) broke the game open for the Phillies in a big way. Bohm has generally been the cleanup hitter for the Phillies this season, stepping in behind Bryce Harper to drive runs in, but when he was down, other players auditioned.
Nick Castellanos tried the job for a while and struggled while J.T. Realmuto started to heat up behind him. At one point, they were flip-flopped and Realmuto took the reins as the cleanup hitter. With Bohm back and Realmuto still hitting well, Rob Thomson now has a decision to make, which is our question of the day: who is the team’s cleanup hitter now?
Honestly, there probably isn’t a wrong answer here. Realmuto has hit well the past few months, so keeping his bat where it is isn’t a bad option. Bohm showed yesterday that he can still be productive even after the injury, so his batting fourth is also a fine option. Neither fits the prototypical slugger profile we’ve been accustomed to from the cleanup hitter, so they’ll have to make due with one of them.