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On Tuesday morning, the Philadelphia Phillies announced that they were firing manager Rob Thomson after an abysmal 9-19 start. General manager Dave Dombroski spoke to the media saying that it was time for a new voice to lead the Phillies’ clubhouse.
Former bench coach Don Mattingly was promoted to interim manager for the remainder of the 2026 MLB season. Mattingly previously managed for the Miami Marlins and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Before the firing of Rob Thomson, many Phillies players came to the support of the organization. Including, Kyle Schwarber who said he believes the Phillies have the right guys to turn things around.
Ahead of tonight’s game against the San Francisco Giants, Phillies’ injured catcher J.T. Realmuto gets real about his feelings toward Thomson.
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J.T. Realmuto has been with the Philadelphia Phillies since 2019. In January 2026, the All-Star catcher signed a three-year $45 million contract to remain with the organization.
Realmuto has career splits of .270/.328/.446 and is one the Phillies’ strongest hitters.
Unfortunately for the Phillies, he recently hit the 10-day IL due to lower back spasms. Realmuto has been one of the team’s most consistent hitters on their struggling offense.
Despite Realmuto having a batting average above .250, unlike a lot of the Phillies other ‘superstars,’ the 35-year-old catcher takes some blame when it came to the decision to fire Rob Thomson.
“As a player, you take accountability. We all feel responsible for what happened. We know we are the ones on the field not doing our job. It sucks. “
Phillies catcher JT Realmuto says it’s tough that someone loses their job for the players not playing well.
“It was tough,” Realmuto said about the firing of Thomson. “It’s never easy on players when your manager gets let go… it’s never a good feeling. As a player, you take accountability. We all feel responsible for what happened. We know we are the ones on the field not doing our job. It sucks.”
Although tough for the players, the Phillies promoted former bench coach Don Mattingly to interim manager for the rest of the 2026 season.
New Phillies manager Don Mattingly at first base with Bryce Harper.
Only hours after Mattingly’s promotion, he was seen taking reps at first base with Bryce Harper, per beat writer Todd Zolecki. Hopefully, some lightheartedness from Mattingly will open the door for a Phillies win tonight.
“What’s happened in the past to this point, we’re not getting those games back…you have to turn the page,” Mattingly said in his first press conference since becoming interim manager.
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Amid all of the bad omens Philadelphia fans have endured this season, they might have something to be happy about after all. Phillies beat writer Matt Gleb shared to X that J.T. Realmuto is taking batting practice ahead of the Giants game.
“J.T. Realmuto (back) is taking BP on the field,” Gleb wrote. “He did agility in the outfield. He’s eligible to return Saturday and is trending that way.”
Realmuto landed on the 10-day IL on April 22, after an early exit against the Atlanta Braves. The Phillies’ decision to place him on the IL was more of a cautionary approach to manage his back spasms.
However, if everything goes smoothy the next couple of day, fans can expect to see him back in the lineup against the Miami Marlins.
McKenna Van Gundy McKenna Van Gundy is a sports journalist covering the NFL for Heavy.com. She spent two years as a sports contributor for her University's newspaper, covering games and writing feature stories on players and coaches. She currently works for the NFL as a digital programming associate and lives in the greater Los Angeles area. More about McKenna Van Gundy
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