Alec Bohm Resets, Steps Up, Shows Signs of Life: ‘I Went Back to Hitting’
May 9, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies infielder Alec Bohm (28) hits a home run against the Colorado Rockies in the third inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
Alec Bohm went into Saturday’s game with an average of .159. He had sat the previous two games. The Phillies scored nine runs in his return to the lineup, and Bohm was the fuel to the fire.
With Edmundo Sosa and Felix Reyes sharing some time each at third base, Bohm knew that there had officially been a clock placed on himself, and he was starting to run out of time, which made his performance in the win a massive deal, as no one knows how much more the Phillies’ management could take of Bohm’s struggles.
In the simplest terms, Bohm’s job was on the line going into the weekend series against Colorado. He had always been a name on the edge of trade talks and other movement positions, which made this weekend a possible make-or-break weekend for the third baseman. The pressure was all on him, and the stakes were high, and Bohm absolutely delivered for the Phillies.
In Saturday’s win, Bohm went 3-4 with two of those leaving the park for four runs batted in. A three-hit game capped off by a multi-home run game was exactly what Bohm needed to get himself on track to return to his caliber of player.
After racking up a hit and an RBI in Sunday’s series finale over the Rockies, and a great play at third base, Bohm is alive and well. Bohm has the ability to be a tremendous hitter when he’s on fire, but he has not shown not only much talent, but also not much attitude, either.
With this spontaneous success, Bohm credits his performance to a “reset,” after not playing for a good amount of time, and focuses on his stride length.
“I just remember, [stride length] was something I was really focused on, and I felt like it helped me a lot,” Bohm said Saturday night. “We did a couple of different things to reinforce that [Friday], and it showed up [Saturday] on the field.”
The fact that Bohm had found the stride length he used to find success with is huge for his game, and he has to feel good despite staying relaxed and humble. Bohm also acknowledged that the fix helped in his game on Saturday, which is a huge sign of hope for the coming games for Bohm specifically, as this can potentially be the turning point that brings him back to his game. If Bohm gets back to his consistent hitting, this will be the point to look back on.
When not playing for a period, many players will get either anxious or angry, or sometimes both, but Bohm’s reset of not only his stride but also his mentality led to the success of his game. He credits his two home runs on Saturday to being relaxed, despite the pressure and the position he was in at the time.
“I felt relaxed and went back to hitting,” Bohm said as he aimed to be himself and keep his approach positive, which is not an easy thing to do in his situation.
For a very emotional player, the calm mindset Bohm held when coming back to the lineup was unexpected, to say the least, but a huge motivator that everyone can only hope is here to stay. This weekend, Bohm has felt like a new person, and only for the better.
It’s very refreshing to see this stretch out of Bohm, recording five runs batted in and two homers. It’s also important to see how relaxed Bohm’s approach is, as that is always step one to getting yourself in the right spot.
This also has to feel great for new intern manager Don Mattingly, who had a good feeling that the rest would benefit Bohm. Mattingly discussed pre-series how he believes that Bohm will pull through in a massive way for the ball club.
“He’s gonna hit,” Mattingly said before the series. “I’ll believe that until the day I’m not on this earth. And we’re gonna need him to be himself. He’s gonna get a lot of big hits for us.”
Whether Mattingly had been there during Bohm’s work, or if he had a hunch before the series, Bohm’s performance this weekend is a carbon copy of the Bohm that Mattingly described before the series, making the management look good on Mattingly’s part, and also boosting the morale between the manager and third baseman. It means more than just a good series.
Bohm is not there yet, and his average is still 20 points under .200, but considering the fact that he came into the weekend with under .160, he’s definitely on the right track.
Luke Raidy
Luke has covering the the Flyers and Phillies for Philly Sports Reports since 2025. He is a junior at North Penn and being a huge Philly sports fan has brought so many experiences, such as going to the NLDS, NLCS, and even the World Series in 2022. He has also met former superstars in the city of Philadelphia, such as Wayne Simmonds from the Flyers. Though being a student-athlete, Luke enjoys his time where he is writing and reporting on Philadelphia sports.
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