After returning from IL, Bohm heating up at the right time for Phils

PHOENIX -- Alec Bohm can see the good times ahead.

“I might not have started great, but …” he said this weekend at Chase Field.

He could have a great finish. Bohm homered in the fourth inning of Saturday night’s 4-3 loss to the Diamondbacks, going 2-for-4 with one RBI. The Phillies activated him from the 10-day injured list before Friday night’s series opener. In his first at-bat in the second inning on Friday, he capped an eight-pitch at-bat with a hard-hit, run-scoring double to right-center field. He finished 2-for-5 with three RBIs.

“I just felt like myself,” Bohm said.

And when was the last time that he felt like that?

“A while,” he said. “I mean, I was just kind of manipulating [his body] and trying to get into a position where I just felt good.”

Bohm spent 10 days on the IL with inflammation in his left shoulder. The shoulder had bothered him for much of the season, but the pain peaked earlier this month. So, he got treatment, got better and got back into the lineup, swinging the bat this weekend like he hadn’t missed a beat.

“I think for a little while there I was just kind of stuck,” Bohm said Saturday. “My best ball was just something the other way. I wasn’t doing a lot of damage. … Just keep building on the consistency of it. I think tonight when I swung, I put the ball in play, which is more on par for what I do. Because I feel like when I’m good, when I decide to swing at a pitch and make the right decision, the ball is getting put in play. I think when I’m making a good decision and putting the ball in play on the barrel hard, that’s an indicator I’m in a good spot.”

Bohm hit sixth in his first two games back, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him move up in the order before long, especially if he keeps hitting like this.

The Phillies’ cleanup spot has been a relative struggle this season. Phillies manager Rob Thomson has tried six different hitters there: Nick Castellanos (49), J.T. Realmuto (42), Kyle Schwarber (37), Bohm (22), Max Kepler (three) and Brandon Marsh (two). Combined, they entered Saturday ranked 20th in baseball with a .721 OPS.

No other spot in the Phillies’ lineup ranked lower than 13th in relation to the rest of the Majors.

The Phillies had four more RBIs (86) from the leadoff spot this season than the cleanup spot (82). The batting average for Phillies cleanup hitters (.238) is the lowest of any spot in the lineup, seven points lower than the nine-hole (.245). Their on-base percentage (.311) is eighth, six points higher than the nine-hole (.305).

But even if Bohm, who hit cleanup 102 times as an All-Star in 2024, stays right where he is, a better version of him in the six-hole would be a boost for the offense, especially entering the postseason.

It’s been an up and down year for Bohm. He batted .150 with a .331 OPS in his first 14 games of the season, following an offseason of trade rumors. He batted .304 with a .791 OPS in his next 78 games before he landed on the IL on July 19 with a fractured rib. He missed a month, then batted .349 with an .893 OPS in 11 games upon his return, only to have the shoulder flare up again.

He had five hits in 36 at-bats in nine games before going to the IL.

“I don’t think numbers-wise I’ve had the best year that I could’ve had, but I’ve battled through some things,” Bohm said. “It’s not always easy. You’re not always going to have your best year every year. But I’m feeling healthy now and I feel like with what we have left I can kind of flip the script on that and at least leave some good memories with the end instead.

“You have a good postseason and we end up winning the last game of the year, nobody’s going to care what I was doing in June and July. I’m excited about being able to -- not so much right the ship -- but be able to contribute. I’m definitely excited about feeling like myself and being able to help the team out.”