Phillies make major move in response to devastating start

The Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets entered the 2026 MLB season expected to contend for the NL East title.

After 28 games, Philadelphia and New York are mired at the bottom of not only their division, but the entire major leagues. Consequently, both teams stand 9-19, 1.5 games behind the next-lowest team.

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On Tuesday, April 28, the Phillies made the first big move in response to the bad start. Thus, the franchise fired manager Rob Thomson and installed former Miami Marlins manager Don Mattingly as his replacement.

ESPN baseball reporter Jeff Passan shared the news on X. Thomson led the Phillies to four consecutive playoff appearances.

Thomson, 62, turned in a 355-270 record in five seasons leading the Phillies. In his first season, he led Philadelphia to the World Series after replacing Joe Girardi early in the campaign.

According to The Athletic, Philadelphia promoted third base coach Dusty Wathan to bench coach. In addition, Triple-A Lehigh Valley manager Anthony Contreras will join the major-league staff as third base coach.

This season, Philadelphia suffered through a 10-game losing streak despite carrying the largest payroll in franchise history.

Thomson, who won five World Series crowns in various roles for the before becoming a manager, addressed his job security after a loss to the on Sunday.