Phillies hint at more lineup changes after Diamondbacks series

The Phillies have a cleanup hitter and a plan to keep Alec Bohm down in the order

PHILADELPHIA — More changes are coming to the Phillies lineup over the next few days.

Once the Diamonds series concludes, Phillies manager Rob Thomson hinted at a new cleanup hitter for the foreseeable future.

Adolis Garcia is a “strong candidate” to take over the No. 4 spot.

“For the most part, I think he’s done a pretty good job at controlling the strike zone,” Thomson said. “His at-bats have been very good so far.”

Garcia hit fourth primarily in his years with the Rangers, hitting .224 with 13 HR, 39 RBI, and a .662 OPS last season. The Phillies right fielder provides more power from that spot, but the numbers through 13 games are similar to last season — .229 with a .679 OPS.

Will Garcia be the No. 4 hitter long term? hat depends on Alec Bohm, who has gotten off to a slow start this season. Bohm is hitting .170 with 1 HR, 8 RBI and a .550 OPS to start the year, and the Phillies moved him down to No. 8 in the lineup.

“Just trying to take some heat off him,” Thomson said. “Let him breathe a bit…All we’re trying to do is get him going.”

Bohm has been moved down the order in the past after slow starts, most notably last season. The Phillies moved him down to eighth in the 14th game last season to get Bohm going, as he hit .326 with an .842 OPS in 23 games in the No. 8 spot.

“I think he knows all we’re trying to do is help him,” Thomson said. “He just needs to relax and be himself, because he can hit. We all know he can hit."

Once Bohm gets going, he’ll eventually move up in the order. The Phillies prefer to mix up the righties and lefties, but have went with four consecutive lefties to expose the Diamondbacks not having a left-handed arm in their bullpen.

Bohm likely won’t be cleanup for the foreseeable future, but the No. 6 spot may be the move going forward. Putting Bohm eighth is a move the Phillies hope is the one that gets Bohm back on track.

“I want him to control the strike zone and use the field,” Thomson said. “Because he does that, he’s really good.”

Another factor in the equation is Brandon Marsh, who is hitting fourth in the Diamondbacks series. The Phillies moved Marsh up in the order because he’s swinging the bat well, hitting .273 with 2 HR, 9 RBI, and a .775 OPS to start the year.

Hitting No. 4 isn’t permanent, but a move up in the lineup from No. 7 may be.

“As you saw last night, he can hit the ball from any part of the ballpark,” Thomson said. “He doesn’t have to be pull side. When he gets in that mode, which everyone does at times, there’s a lot of ground balls.

“But when he stays through the ball and thinking left-center, he’s really good.”