PHOENIX — Alec Bohm’s batting practice this week at Dodger Stadium caught Phillies manager Rob Thomson’s eye.
“Pretty impressive,” Thomson said Friday afternoon at Chase Field. “Showed some raw power. So, hopefully it transfers.”
Bohm rejoined the Phillies on Friday after spending the past 10 days on the injured list with inflammation in his left shoulder. He ripped a run-scoring double to right-center field in his first at-bat in the second inning. It ended a fantastic, eight-pitch at-bat. He delivered a two-run single in the ninth as the Phillies beat the D-backs, 8-2.
It’s obvious, but the Phillies could use the best version of Bohm the rest of the season.
They hope to catch a glimpse of it in the season’s remaining eight regular-season games.
“Just see what the swing looks like with a healthy shoulder,” Thomson said. “I think that had a lot to do with a lot of the stuff that was going on.”
It’s been a strange year for Bohm. He got off to a terrible start, batting .150 with three RBIs and a .331 OPS in his first 14 games. He hit .304 with eight homers, 39 RBIs and a .791 OPS in his next 78 games.
“The power was coming and he was using the field,” Thomson said. “He was putting the ball in play hard.”
But Bohm landed on the IL on July 19 with a fractured rib. He missed a month. He hit well in 11 games upon his return, but he struggled so much in his next eight that he returned to the IL with the injured shoulder.
Bohm hit sixth on Friday, but it’s easy to see him hitting fourth again if he produces. He hit cleanup 22 times this season and 102 times last season, when he made his first All-Star team.
