Just one season removed from winning back-to-back division titles, the Philadelphia Phillies are completely falling apart. A miserable 9-19 start isn’t just a slump; it’s a crisis, and the front office felt it was time to make a major change.

With that, they officially put an end to the Rob Thomson era.

“The Phillies have fired manager Rob Thomson, sources told The Athletic,” Phillies beat writer Matt Gelb reported this first.

Ex-Yankee All-Star and current bench coach Don Mattingly has been promoted as the interim manager for the rest of the season. The move came after the team went through a 10-game losing streak, the franchise’s longest since 1999.

The team also lost 11 of its last 12 games before the firing was made official. For a team boasting a $300 million payroll, getting outscored this badly, highlighted by a league-worst minus-54 run differential, is simply unacceptable. Now, the Phillies are stuck at the very bottom of the standings, tied with the Mets.

Following the change, the Phillies shuffled their coaching staff to stabilize the clubhouse. Dusty Wathan was promoted from third base coach to the bench coach. Anthony Contreras joined the major league staff as the new third base coach.

Chris Adamson was promoted to manage the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs. By staying in-house for these hires, the front office made it clear they wanted continuity right now over outside replacements.

The Phillies actually looked at Alex Cora before settling on Mattingly. According to Bob Nightengale, the Phillies actually offered Cora the job. However, he turned it down to spend time with his family, leaving Mattingly as the clear choice to step in.

But when we look back at the season the Phillies are having, is it really Rob Thomson’s fault?

After winning 96 games in 2025, the team completely fell apart this year. The Phillies are currently 29th in the league in batting average and 28th in ERA. Right now, they are the worst team in baseball. Even the Colorado Rockies have a better record.

Philadelphia went 1-6 in a week that included a four-game sweep by the Cubs. They also dropped two of three games against the Braves. Even with Zack Wheeler‘s return, the team could not compete in the league.

However, you can’t put all the blame on the manager’s desk, though.

The front office, led by Dave Dombrowski, failed to improve the roster significantly during the offseason. The Phillies pursued Bo Bichette all offseason but could not get the deal done. Adding to that, the Phillies also lost key players like Ranger Suárez and Harrison Bader to free agency.

They did make some additions like Adolis García and Brad Keller, but they seem more like a downgrade than an upgrade for the team right now.

At the same time, Thomson was not free from criticism during this difficult stretch. He used 21 different batting orders in 28 games, trying to create a spark in the struggling lineup. The offense often relied only on the top three hitters.

The pitching hasn’t helped, either. Aaron Nola was supposed to anchor the rotation while Wheeler was out, but his ERA is over 6.00. Across 31.1 innings, he has allowed one run or fewer in just a single start.

When we combine all these decisions by the Phillies front office and Rob Thomson, this outcome felt inevitable. But is it the right move?

Is Don Mattingly replacing Rob Thomson the right choice for the Phillies?

Even though some people might call this nepotism, as the Phillies GM is Don Mattingly’s son, the Philadelphia Phillies have put their trust in Don Mattingly, and it might actually pay off for the team.

Thomson was fired after the Phillies stumbled to a 9-19 start in 2026. Instead of chasing a World Series title, the team currently sits in last place in its division and at the very bottom of the league standings.

Mattingly takes over as interim manager with 12 years of experience. He knows how to handle the pressure of winning, guiding the Dodgers to a 446-363 record during his five years there. He led the team to three straight division titles, winning over 90 games each year.

Despite the postseason exits, his teams won over 55% of their games. That’s a massive upgrade over the Phillies’ current .321 win percentage.

Mattingly has already managed stars like Clayton Kershaw during his Cy Young-level seasons. With that under his belt, the Phillies believe that he might be able to take over a Phillies clubhouse featuring big names like Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper, and J.T. Realmuto.

He has also proven he can handle a struggling team. Mattingly spent seven seasons rebuilding the Miami Marlins, even winning NL Manager of the Year in 2020 after sneaking them into the playoffs.

His career 889–950 record reflects experience managing both contending teams and those in a rebuilding phase.

He provides a different voice from Thomson, whose message may have lost impact during this slump. If the Phillies respond as expected, the improvement toward .500 remains realistic based on Mattingly’s record.