The Phillies entered the new season with heightened expectations. They were the 2025 NL East champions and allocated a $281 million payroll in 2026, ranking 4th in the league. Still, they simply ran it back in the offseason with names like Kyle Schwarber and Alec Bohm retained. Marquee free agents like Bo Bichette and Eugenio Suarez were missed out on.

But now that the Phillies are in the middle of an 8-game losing streak and standing last in the NL East, the Phillies’ president, Dave Dombrowski, is held responsible. Especially just when the team is struggling for a cleanup hitter.

“Making Felix Reyes your number four hitter is an indictment of Dave Dombrowski… We don’t really have a number four hitter yet. We knew this during the offseason when you decided Alec Bohm was good enough to be that guy, or when you thought Adolis Garcia was going to be good enough to be that guy. The fact that the Phillies don’t really have a number four hitter is on you. Dave Dombrowski,” Phillies insider John Stolnis shared via Hittin Season.

The problem with the Phillies’ offense started after they signed Adolis Garcia and Alec Bohm for 1 year. Both were expected to take up the cleanup roles, but failed miserably. In the first 11 games as No. 4, Bohm hit just .186/.271/.279 with 1 homer and 8 RBIs. In contrast, Garcia batted just .185/.313/.259 in 32 plate appearances.

The Phillies manager was even forced to bench Garcia from Thursday’s game against the Cubs.

So, Stolnis wonders if the Phillies could still have their hands on Bo Bichette and Eugenio Suarez or even Cody Bellinger in the offseason, but Dombrowski wasn’t that desperate. And now that both Bohm and Garcia struggle, Dombrowski admits the limitations. “You really don’t have a No. 4 hitter at this time,” Dombrowski said.

“There’s no harm trying Reyes because he’s going to get in there and he’s going to give you a good at-bat and do everything that he can to drive the ball somewhere,” Dombrowski added. A team with around $300 million payroll is calling up a prospect to take up the cleanup role, proving how poor their offseason was.

The Phillies’ OG cleanup hitter, Bryce Harper, is hitting .261. He couldn’t score or manage a hit from his 4 at-bats on Wednesday. Schwarber is better as DH now. So, who’s left? Someone like Reyes. While Reyes proved himself by hitting a homer in his first at-bat in MLB, the team’s lack of power-hitting is evident. They are ranked 29th in terms of batting average (.220) and 19th in terms of scoring home runs (24).

However, the Phillies might just have started shaping up their roster.

The Phillies continue to shake up the roster

Garcia, after his struggle this season, is benched, but the Phillies went harder with pitcher Taijuan Walker.

Walker was struggling with a 9.13 ERA, and he was worse against the Cubs on Wednesday, allowing 4 ERs with 1 SO in his 4 innings. This season, Walker has allowed 12 hits, 3 HRs, and 5 walks, and has only recorded 6 SOs in the 1st inning. The Phillies have had enough. They reportedly released Walker on Thursday morning, marking a significant roster adjustment.

However, it means Walker’s remaining $15 million from his $72 million contract will be paid by the Phillies. With that, the Phillies now have around $34.22 million in dead money this year. This includes $19.22 million for Nick Castellanos.

While Zack Wheeler’s return from injury is nearing, releasing Walker still poses the question of who would take the immediate duty hereon. Nestor Cortes could be a good option, who is still available in free agency. Although he could play only 8 games last year due to injuries, his last full season went well in 2024, securing a 3.77 ERA in 31 appearances.

So, landing Cortes now could help Dombrowski to make up for the loss the team made during the offseason, albeit in a small way. But just as the Phillies are making moves, fans could hope for them to snap the losing streak soon.