The Philadelphia Phillies made a notable adjustment to their batting order ahead of the second game of their three-game series against the Miami Marlins, moving second baseman Bryson Stott into the No. 2 spot for the first time this season.
The change came after Philadelphia suffered a frustrating 8-7 loss to Miami in Monday’s series opener. The Phillies had taken a 7-5 lead into the ninth inning but watched the Marlins rally for three runs against closer Jhoan Duran, turning what appeared to be a victory into a painful loss.
With Kyle Schwarber out of the lineup for Tuesday’s game, Philadelphia reshuffled its batting order. Trea Turner moved into the leadoff position, while Stott was elevated to second in the order. Bryce Harper was scheduled to bat third as the designated hitter, followed by Alec Bohm and Brandon Marsh.
The move represented a significant change for Stott. Although he has been a regular member of Philadelphia’s lineup, he had primarily occupied the No. 6 position during the 2026 season. Tuesday’s game marked his first appearance in the top three of the Phillies’ batting order this season and his first time hitting second since 2024.
The decision also came at an interesting point in Stott’s season. Through 101 games, he was batting .256 with 91 hits, 20 doubles, six triples, eight home runs, 47 RBIs, 43 runs scored and 17 stolen bases. His recent offensive production had given Philadelphia another reason to move him higher in the order.
Stott had just delivered one of his strongest performances of the season in the Phillies’ previous series against the New York Yankees. In Philadelphia’s 11-4 victory on Sunday, he went 3-for-4 and drove in five runs, matching a career high in RBIs. One of his biggest swings was a 110.5-mph solo home run, which was the hardest-hit homer of his career at that point.
His production with runners in scoring position had also been particularly impressive. Stott was batting .329 in those situations, giving the Phillies another dangerous option behind Turner when opportunities arose. Since May 1, he had accumulated 42 RBIs, tying Milwaukee’s Brice Turang for the most among MLB second basemen during that span.
The timing of the lineup adjustment was important for Philadelphia. The Phillies entered Tuesday having lost six of their previous seven games, while their defeat against Miami allowed the Marlins to snap a 12-game losing streak. Philadelphia was 57-50 and 5.5 games behind the Atlanta Braves in the National League East at the time of the report.
For interim manager Don Mattingly, the lineup change provided an opportunity to maximize Stott’s recent production while also giving Schwarber a breather. Schwarber had remained one of the Phillies’ most productive offensive players, but he had carried a significant workload and was held out of Tuesday’s starting lineup despite collecting hits in five consecutive games.
The Phillies were also counting on Aaron Nola to help stop their slide. Nola was scheduled to make his 22nd start of the season, entering with a 3-8 record and a 5.82 ERA over 108.1 innings. He was coming off an outing in which he surrendered five runs.
The larger story, however, was Philadelphia’s attempt to find more consistency from an offense that had struggled during the opening stretch of the second half. Moving Stott into the No. 2 spot placed one of the team’s more productive recent hitters directly behind Turner and gave the Phillies another potential run producer near the top of the order.
Stott’s promotion also showed that Philadelphia was willing to experiment with its lineup as it tried to reverse its recent slide. With the playoff race tightening and the trade deadline approaching, every improvement from an existing player could become increasingly valuable.
The Phillies ultimately hoped Stott’s move up the order would provide more stability and production at the top of the lineup while the club attempted to recover from its disappointing loss to Miami and regain momentum in the NL East race.
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