The Philadelphia Phillies, having concluded the 2025 regular season with 96 victories and a top-tier run differential in major league baseball, had significant hopes placed upon them heading into 2026. However, the squad faltered significantly at the start of the season, recording a 9-19 standing across their initial 28 contests, placing them alongside the New York Mets for the league’s poorest performance.
Due to the team’s struggles, the management chose to implement a major change, dismissing manager Rob Thomson on Tuesday.
Following Thomson’s departure, the organization plans to utilize experienced manager Don Mattingly in an acting capacity. Mattingly distinguished himself as a player for the New York Yankees and possesses 12 years of coaching leadership in Major League Baseball. He guided the Dodgers to a .551 win rate over five campaigns prior to moving to the Miami Marlins, where he achieved a .430 win rate during his seven-season tenure.
Mattingly concluded his time with the Marlins subsequent to the 2022 MLB season and served several terms as a bench coach for the Toronto Blue Jays prior to taking on the identical position with the Phillies in January.
Mattingly’s appointment signifies a historical first in MLB, as a father and his son will simultaneously hold the roles of team manager and general manager. While Dave Dombrowski retains significant influence as the club’s president of baseball operations, Don Mattingly’s offspring, Preston, holds the position of the Phillies’ general manager.
This action brings to a close what was largely a successful period for Thomson in Philadelphia. Across his four-and-a-half years in charge, Thomson guided the squad to a .568 win percentage and secured four berths in the postseason.
In his inaugural year, Thomson guided the Phillies to the World Series, where the squad was defeated by the Houston Astros in six contests. The team embarked on another extensive playoff journey in 2023, ultimately being eliminated by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NLCS.
Nevertheless, for the preceding two seasons, the Phillies could not progress beyond their initial playoff round, experiencing defeats to the New York Mets in 2024 and the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2025.
These premature eliminations, coupled with the club’s sluggish beginning in 2026, probably led to Thomson’s termination. Even with the highest player salary expenses in club history, the Phillies commenced the season weakly, enduring a 10-game losing streak within the opening month.
Thomson represents another prominent manager dismissed this season. He joins Alex Cora, whom the Boston Red Sox unexpectedly released after their team started the year with a 10-17 record. Cora reportedly received an offer for the Phillies’ provisional management position before Mattingly was promoted but turned it down, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
Considering their past achievements, both Cora and Thomson might emerge as favored choices should other organizations opt for early changes in their coaching staff.
As for the Phillies, Mattingly now faces the challenge of revitalizing the team following a dismal start. Given the extraordinary skill pool within the squad, hopes for the Phillies, who claimed the National League East title last season, will stay exceptionally elevated.
Merely securing consecutive division championships may not suffice for Mattingly to be appointed as the permanent manager. By dismissing Thomson, the Phillies are indicating that merely reaching the postseason is no longer deemed adequate. The ultimate objective is to secure the World Series title, and the Phillies lacked assurance that Thomson could achieve this in 2026 following the team’s uninspiring beginning.
