The Best Indication Yet of How Phillies' Opening Day Lineup Will Look

Monday is the Phillies' final day in Florida after six weeks of spring training, and the lineup they used against the Tampa Bay Rays will most likely be the arrangement they use against right-handed pitchers to begin the season.

This was the batting order:

1. Trea Turner, SS
2. Kyle Schwarber, DH (L)
3. Bryce Harper, 1B (L)
4. Alec Bohm, 3B
5. Bryson Stott, 2B (L)
6. Adolis Garcia, RF
7. Brandon Marsh, LF (L)
8. J.T. Realmuto, C
9. Justin Crawford, CF (L)

The lineup debate

The two main lineup debates Phillies fans have had throughout the offseason and spring have regarded Harper and Schwarber in the the two- and three-spots, and Bohm and Garcia fourth and sixth.

Schwarber has spent time batting everywhere from leadoff to cleanup with the Phillies. They led him off for the majority of 2022, 2023 and 2024 before moving Turner into that spot last season, with Schwarber mostly hitting second. He provides so much value as both a table-setter and run producer that there is no right answer where to hit him.

The Phils' priority, though, is making sure that all of Turner, Schwarber and Harper bat in the first inning, so that will be their top three. They want their three best hitters taking the most plate appearances.

Batting Schwarber and Harper back-to-back is not a concern the way it would be with most lefty duos because both handle same-handed pitching well. Harper has hit .287 vs. lefties the last three seasons with 27 home runs and an OPS nearing .900.

Schwarber has made himself a better and better hitter against lefties, and last season he set the single-season major-league record with 23 home runs by a lefty against left-handed pitchers. It's been astonishing to watch a guy who hit .191 against lefties his first two seasons as a Phillie rise all the way to .275 the last two years, with major power. It speaks to Schwarber's continuous desire to improve.

Why Schwarber ahead of Harper?

The Phillies could go either way, hitting Schwarber two and Harper three or vice versa. Harper does prefer to hit third, though, and has had far more success there in his career than when batting second.

Two-thirds of Harper's 7,665 career plate appearances have come in the three-spot and he's hit .284/.397/.535 with 251 of his 363 home runs.

Harper's second-most plate appearances (1,010) have come from the two-hole and he's hit .254/.334/.456.

Finding the proper protection for Harper has been an annual quest for the Phillies, and if he protects Schwarber, it means Harper will have less protection in the form of Bohm.

Again, there is no one perfect answer because protecting Schwarber with Harper will also result in more pitches to hit for Schwarber.

Really, you can't go wrong however you order Schwarber and Harper. They both have massive power and plate selection, and the top-third of the lineup should generate plenty of early leads for what might be the best pitching staff in baseball.

Bohm vs. Garcia

Bohm is not the prototypical cleanup hitter because he does not have 30-home run power. He's a .279/.328/.415 career hitter who's batted between .274 and .287 the last four years, maxing out at 20 homers. He is never going to be a bombs-away slugger, that's just not his swing or the way he tries to do damage.

Bohm can, however, provide value if he returns to his 2024 form, when he hit 44 doubles, drove in 97 runs for a second straight year and made his only All-Star team. The Turner-Schwarber-Harper trio will be in scoring position frequently for Bohm, who has hit .307 in his career with RISP.

That sort of clutch production is the strength Bohm would bring to the cleanup spot. He also swings and misses significantly less than Garcia, making him a better candidate to drive in the run from third base with less than two outs. Bohm does not walk or strike out much because he makes so much contact early in counts. The downside of that can be double-play balls. He's hit into 75 the last four seasons, leading the NL with 23 in 2023.

Garcia is a major X-factor for the 2026 Phillies. He came on late in camp and entered the final day of spring training hit .282 with two homers, seven walks and five strikeouts in 47 plate appearances.

The hitter Garcia was in 2024 and 2025 — .225/.278/.397 would not be an upgrade for the Phillies. The hitter he was in 2022 and 2023 — .247/.313/.481 with 66 home runs — would be. He has adjusted his batting stance and been focused on applying more selectivity to his plate appearances. We'll have a better idea a month from now how much it's helped.

Keep in mind, too, that if the Phillies hit Bohm fourth and Garcia sixth on Opening Day, it doesn't mean it will remain that way the entire season or even the entire month. Manager Rob Thomson could and probably will shift the two based on who is hotter.

The Phillies open up on Thursday at home against the Texas Rangers and right-hander Nate Eovaldi. They will probably face Jacob deGrom in the opening series as well. The Phils will start Cristopher Sanchez, Aaron Nola and Jesus Luzardo against the Rangers, then Taijuan Walker, Andrew Painter and Sanchez in the second series at home vs. the Nationals.