Riding Phils' wave, Bohm expected to return to lineup in Game 3

NEW YORK -- Alec Bohm’s voice could hardly be heard as the music blared and jets roared overhead on Monday afternoon at Citi Field.

New York can be a loud place and Bohm speaks softly.

Not that he wanted to talk about everything that had happened to him in the past 48 hours.

Phillies manager Rob Thomson texted Bohm on Saturday night to tell him that he would not start Game 2 of the National League Division Series against the Mets on Sunday at Citizens Bank Park. It was the first time Bohm had not started a postseason game since the Phils won the NL Wild Card Series in 2022.

It surprised people. Thomson had been averse to significant lineup changes in each of the past two postseasons, but he said Bohm’s struggles at the plate pushed him to start Edmundo Sosa, whom he hoped would provide a jolt of energy.

Bohm is expected to start at third base in Game 3 on Tuesday night.

“I mean, I’ve already passed that,” Bohm said. “It’s not about me, it’s about winning baseball games. I’ve already forgotten about all that.”

Sosa went 0-for-2 with one strikeout in Game 2. Bohm pinch-hit for him in the seventh inning and popped out on the first pitch, then he popped out again in the eighth.

It continued a recent trend. Bohm batted .170 (8-for-47) with two homers, eight RBIs and a .502 OPS in his final 12 games of the regular season following a stint on the IL because of an injured left hand. He has shown plenty of frustration in that time, spiking more than one batting helmet into the turf.

“It’s just the timing of it all,” Bohm said. “You know, it’s not June, so everybody notices, ‘Oh, this guy is not hitting.’”

Bohm said he doesn’t know why he has struggled offensively.

“If I knew, I wouldn’t be getting out,” Bohm said. “It’s just not going my way. ... I feel like I missed a homer yesterday [in his first at-bat], but sometimes this game is unforgiving. I think the only thing I can do is keep going up there, keep putting my best foot forward and play the best defense that I can. Eventually, I’m going to get there. I’m going to start hitting and it’s going to come soon.”

A return to form would be a boost for the Phillies’ lineup. Bohm is one of the team’s best hitters at putting the ball in play and not chasing pitches out of the zone.

It made him an RBI machine.

It got Bohm elected as the NL’s starter at third base in the 2024 All-Star Game.

“I think confidence can be an individual thing, but it can also be a group thing,” Bohm said. “So just kind of get lost within the team. I think whenever I walk up there, it’s getting closer and closer to coming through.”