Possible Phillies Lineup Tweaks

The Philadelphia Phillies need to make some lineup tweaks heading into the 2026 season. After shuffling through multiple leadoff hitters last season, the Phillies need some consistency. Kyle Schwarber batted leadoff for most of the 2023 and 2024 seasons before largely being moved out of the role in 2025. Trea Turner handled the bulk of the leadoff reps, with Bryson Stott having a brief run in that spot against right-handed starting pitchers.

Additionally, during the stretch run, while Turner was injured, the Phillies had Harrison Bader batting leadoff with Bryce Harper making a one-off appearance in that spot. The leadoff spot and the top three spots collectively are not the lone area where the Phillies could rearrange things.

Harper needs to be elite again in 2026. To do this, the Phillies need to better protect Harper in the lineup. Harper even said as much in a conversation with reporters in Clearwater. In the Phillies’ most commonly used lineups last season, Schwarber, along with Alec Bohm, were primarily batting behind Harper. To add to that, Harper batted third in 117 games last season while also batting second in 14 games. Nick Castellanos and J.T. Realmuto were the Phillies’ most common cleanup hitters in 2025. Castellanos spent 50 games batting there, with Realmuto spending 43 games in the cleanup spot. Regardless of what happens with the top three, the cleanup spot needs to be a right-handed bat to balance the lineup.

Phillies Lineup Tweaks

The Leadoff Spot Change Paying Off

The most likely outcome here is that it remains the same way the 2025 season finished, with Turner leading off, followed by Schwarber and then Harper. Schwarber was moved out of the leadoff spot to give him more plate appearances with runners on base. In 2023, Schwarber had 429 plate appearances with the bases empty and 291 with runners on base.

For comparison, in 2024, Schwarber had 462 plate appearances with the bases empty and 230 with runners on base. However, in 2025, spending most of the time out of the leadoff spot, Schwarber had 382 plate appearances with the bases empty and 342 with runners on base. Additionally, Turner is more of a traditional leadoff hitter, making this a fine change for the Phillies, but an adjustment could be made.

Organizing the Top of the Order

For a brief stretch in 2025, Turner was leading off, followed by Harper and then Schwarber. Ideally, this is the top three the Phillies should run with to start 2026. Harper had a .900 OPS and a 150 wRC+ with a 0.64 BB/K rate batting second last season. For comparison, Harper had a .844 OPS and a 131 wRC+ with a 0.58 BB/K rate batting third last season. This is thanks in part to Schwarber batting third while Harper was batting second.

Whereas when Harper was batting third, he had a cast of characters who were largely unproductive batting fourth behind him. There is also an argument to be made that Harper batting leadoff with Turner batting second and Schwarber batting third should be considered.

The Cleanup Spot

In a perfect world, the Phillies would avoid using Bohm in the cleanup spot this season. During the 2025 season, Bohm recorded a .571 OPS and a 56 wRC+ with a 0.29 BB/K rate batting fourth. Bohm was way more productive batting lower in the lineup last year. While batting fifth in the lineup, Bohm had a .831 OPS and a 138 wRC+ with a 0.78 BB/K rate.

Last season, when Bohm batted sixth, he recorded a .947 OPS and a 159 wRC+ with a 0.22 BB/K rate. Adolis García is a better option for the cleanup role than Bohm. García is looking to bounce back with the Phillies and will be in a more hitter-friendly park this season. Realmuto is another option, but is better suited for a lower in the order role similar to Bohm.