Phillies’ Lineup Lengthened by Infielder Finding Power Stroke

The Philadelphia Phillies are the hottest team in baseball, putting their early-season struggles behind them to get back over the .500 mark.

Since Don Mattingly has taken over as manager, the team has been performing at a high level. After defeating the Cincinnati Reds in the first matchup of a three-game set, the Phillies have pushed their record to 16-4 since Rob Thomson was fired.

There are many reasons Philadelphia has found as much success as it has. One of the biggest has been the offense finding a rhythm with greater consistency, no longer relying solely on Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper to do all the heavy lifting.

There are still some overarching issues the team has to figure out, such as hitting against left-handed pitching. But, they are starting to see improvements from players who got off to brutal starts on the season, such as second baseman Bryson Stott.

Bryson Stott heating up for Phillies

Philadelphia Phillies infielder Bryson Stott (5) hits a two-run home run against the Cincinnati Reds. — May 18, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies infielder Bryson Stott (5) hits a two-run home run against the Cincinnati Reds in the eighth inning at Citizens Bank Park. | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

He was hitting under .200 as recently as May 4, following a 0-for-4 game at the plate against the Miami Marlins. There was some clamoring for a change to be made, as he was one of several players struggling to perform at the plate.

Mattingly decided to stick with him, and it has proven to be the right decision. In 13 games since that point, Stott has rediscovered his power stroke, helping lengthen the lineup and take the offensive production to another level.

The second baseman has had 49 plate appearances during that stretch and has produced a .289/.327/.600 slash line with three home runs and five doubles. He has 12 RBI and three stolen bases, making an impact in every facet offensively.

With a .278 batting average on balls in play in those 13 games, this is a level of production that could be sustainable for an extended period of time for Stott, with the potential for a slight uptick with a little bit better luck on balls he puts into play.

STOTTY TOO HOTTY 🔥#RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/zAmcEVL9rC
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) May 19, 2026

He has recorded at least one hit in 10 out of those 13 games and reached base in all but two of the games. The Phillies have gone 10-3 during this stretch, with his performance at the plate putting more pressure on opposing pitchers, increasing the difficulty in navigating Philadelphia’s lineup.

This recent hot stretch has helped improve Stott’s season-long numbers to a slash line of .226/.274/.404. The batting average and on-base percentage are lagging behind his near All-Star level performance in 2023, but the power numbers are not far off.

This would be only the second time in his career that he had a slugging percentage north of .400 if he can keep it up.

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