Two Key Phillies Players Getting on Track at the Plate

The Philadelphia Phillies offense is being taken to another level with two players heating up.

Jun 26, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Trea Turner (7) follows through on an RBI single against the New York Mets during the seventh inning at Citi Field. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Philadelphia Phillies have been arguably the best team in baseball since they made a managerial change.

Rob Thomson was fired after the team started 9-19. Don Mattingly took over on an interim basis, and the team has found massive amounts of success, currently owning a record of 48-38, putting them only 2.5 games behind the Atlanta Braves in the National League East.

Part of what contributed to the team’s slow start was players not performing up to their standards. Some of them, such as Kyle Schwarber, Alec Bohm and Bryson Stott, eventually found their footing.

It took longer for others, like shortstop Trea Turner and center fielder Justin Crawford, but they have started to figure things out over the last two weeks or so, and it has helped elevate the team’s performance to another level.

Trea Turner, Justin Crawford catching fire for Phillies

Jun 20, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Justin Crawford (2) reacts after hitting an RBI double against the New York Mets in the second inning at Citizens Bank Park. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

As shared by Jack Fritz on X, both players have made adjustments to their approach at the plate. Turner no longer uses a leg kick, and the results have been magnificent over his last 13 games.

Before that stretch, he was mired in a 1-for-16 slump. His slash line dropped to .216/.268/.326, and there were serious questions about how much longer Mattingly could afford to keep him in the leadoff spot with how much he was struggling.

In the 13 games since, he has been on fire. Turner has produced a .345/.379/.527 slash line, hitting two home runs and four doubles with seven RBI. His .425 batting average on balls in play is likely unsustainable, but it is certainly encouraging to see his performance turning a corner.

This stretch has improved his slash line to .237/.286/.358 on the season in just over two weeks.

Trea Turner’s season long WAR is back to 0.0. He’s hitting .345 with a .907 OPS in his last 13 games and has ditched the leg kick.

Justin Crawford, who has also made a swing adjustment (lowered the hands and no stride) is hitting .362 with an .813 OPS in his last 15 games.…

— Jack Fritz (@JackFritzWIP) July 1, 2026

Crawford, who was struggling mightily at the plate in his first taste of the Major Leagues, made an adjustment with his hand placement and also eliminated the stride he made in his swing. It has helped cut back on his groundball rate, leading to more success with the bat.

Through his first 12 games in June, the rookie center fielder had only six hits and zero multi-hit games. In the 15 games since that point, he has a .362/.388/.426 slash line with two doubles and six RBI.

His ability to turn the lineup over successfully and get on base ahead of Turner, Schwarber and Bryce Harper has helped this offense get on track and reach a new level, which is resulting in plenty of wins.