Why Adolis Garcia Is Starting To Turn Season Around When Phillies Need Him Most

Adolis Garcia found a way to hit in the San Diego Padres series. Can he keep it up?

Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

PHILADELPHIA -- Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Adolis Garcia was in the midst of a 3-for-57 slump, easily the worst of his big league career.

The numbers were so poor that Garcia didn't even check them to cap off the month of May. He couldn't bear to.

"If it wasn't my worst month -- it was my second worst overall," Garcia said through team translator Diego D'Aniello. "You just have to keep working at this and keep trying to get better. That's how you get through it."

Garcia hit .125 with a .400 OPS in May, with 38 strikeouts to just nine walks. This was his worst month since arriving in the big leagues. He capped the month hitting .053 with 0 HR, 2 RBI, and a .279 OPS. Those numbers are embarrassing for any baseball player, especially one as prideful as Garcia.

When the Phillies returned home from a six-game road trip, one during which Garcia went 0-for-18, the veteran slugger went to the lab. He went to Citizens Bank Park on the Phillies' day off and hit, looking for something to figure out.

"We wen't getting the results that we wanted," Garcia said. "We were on the same page on that."

The transformation in Garcia's hitting

Jun 3, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies right fielder Adolis Garcia (53) hits an RBI double against the San Diego Padres during the fifth inning at Citizens Bank Park. | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

The extra day working on his hitting has paid early dividends for Garcia, who hit .300 with a 1.000 OPS in the series sweep of the San Diego Padres. He hit a 429-foot home run in the fifth inning of Game 3, one which he threw the bat down and took a long stare at the titanic blast.

That celebration was a long time in the making for Garcia, who hit his first home run since May 6. Those extra hours hitting in the cages were starting to show actual results.

"The hitting coaches and I, we've been working really, really hard on finding my swing," Garcia said. "Getting to that swing that characterizes me as a hitter and the swing we've been working on these past few days."

Garcia has been putting in the extra work to figure this out. He came into the office on Monday to find his swing, and was the only one taking batting practice on the field on Thursday.

He really doesn't have a choice, and neither does Philadelphia. Garcia has to figure this out while the Phillies search for other options.

"It's made me feel comfortable and that's one of the things that's working with this," Garcia said. "I feel comfortable at the plate and that's made me take good swings at good pitches. That's the things you look for when you're working on this."

The Phillies need a right-handed bat to hit

May 31, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Trea Turner (7) throws his wrist guard after lining out during the seventh inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. | William Liang-Imagn Images

Garcia was the significant change to the Phillies' lineup from last season. Signed to a one-year, $10 million deal, he was expected to be an upgrade over Nick Castellanos.

He has been a significant upgrade defensively, but also a microcosm of the right-handed hitters and their offensive struggles. The Phillies righties are last in MLB in batting average (.202), on-base percentage (.263), slugging percentage (.314), and OPS (.578).

Philadelphia needs one of its right-handed hitters to step up. For three days at least, Garcia has answered the call.

"He's getting confidence right? " said Phillies manager Don Mattingly. "He's starting to see more rhythm, better at bats. So it's good to see that.

"He went from struggling to swinging the bat good. Credit to him and Kevin (Long) and the guys in the hitting room, just keep him working and staying with him."

GarCYA! pic.twitter.com/6tW1h9iikW

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) June 4, 2026

The Phillies don't have many options behind Garcia if he continues to struggle. Gabriel Rincones could be a platoon option, but he just returned from a knee injury that cost him his first six weeks of the year. Rincones is hitting .241 with a .643 OPS in seven games for Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Felix Reyes is hitting .317 with 7 HR, 19 RBI, and a 1.047 OPS in the first 14 games back with Lehigh Valley after being sent down from the Phillies. He likely is not an option either.

"We know what Felix is doing and what he's capable of," Mattingly said. "There's no reason to have him here and not have any at-bats. The positions he's playing, left field and first base, we're pretty set there.

"There's not a ton of at-bats. That's the reason we sent him down. There's nothing wrong with him developing and having success."

Garcia is the guy until Philadelphia decides he's at the point of no return. The Phillies aren't ready to go that route yet.

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