WASHINGTON — The Phillies have their first All-Star.
Major League Baseball announced on Thursday that interim manager Don Mattingly was named to the National League’s coaching staff for the All-Star Game on July 14. Mattingly was invited by Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who is leading the National League squad. The Cardinals’ Oliver Marmol will join Mattingly as an honorary coach.
The Blue Jays’ John Schneider is managing the American League team, and will be joined by the Twins’ Derek Shelton.
Mattingly said that he was a little torn at first about accepting Roberts’ invitation after being Toronto’s bench coach last year and losing to the Dodgers in last year’s World Series. But it was his 11-year-old son Louis who changed his mind.
“I think I’m looking forward to it from Louis’s eyes more than my own, because he was excited about the Home Run Derby and the possibility being on the field,” Mattingly said. “He wanted to go to the game anyway, so it’s pretty cool. … Excited to see it from his eyes, and obviously always seeing the best players. It’s fun to see them in one spot.”
This marks Mattingly’s third All-Star game as a coach. He served on Bruce Bochy’s staff in 2015 and Joe Maddon’s staff in 2017. Prior to that, Mattingly was a six-time All-Star during his playing career.
Also joining Mattingly on the NL staff will be Phillies trainer Paul Buchheit, strength and conditioning coach Morgan Gregory, and clubhouse manager Phil Sheridan. The Phillies’ Kevin Steinhour will serve as the American League clubhouse manager.
Fan voting for position players in the All-Star Game continues next week. Phase 1 of voting concluded Thursday, with the top two finishers at each position and the top six outfielders advancing as finalists. Phase 2 of voting begins on Monday and will close on July 2.
Extra bases
Kyle Schwarber was back in the starting lineup at designated hitter on Thursday. He had been out of the lineup on Tuesday and Wednesday with low back tightness, but felt better toward the end of the game Wednesday and entered as a pinch-hitter in the ninth. … Alec Bohm was also in the lineup after X-rays came back clean on his foot, which he fouled a ball off on Wednesday night. … Zack Wheeler (7-1, 2.11 ERA) is scheduled to start Friday’s series opener against the Mets.
When Preston Mattingly took a job with the Padres in 2017, his famous dad, Don, was managing the Marlins. After Preston joined the Phillies’ front office in 2022, Don began coaching the Blue Jays.
“You’re in the same industry,” Preston said, “but you’re light-years apart.”
Over the last few years, the Mattinglys figure they were together for a total of about 10 days. So, they need not be reminded, especially on Father’s Day weekend, of the uniqueness of their proximity as the first father-son manager-general manager combination in baseball history.
Last week, Preston Mattingly joined Phillies Extra, The Inquirer’s baseball podcast, to discuss working with his dad. In addition, he talked about Andrew Painter’s demotion to triple A, the state of the Phillies’ farm system, and preparing for the Aug. 3 trade deadline.
Watch the full interview below and subscribe to the Phillies Extra podcaston Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
Q: The fastball was really Andrew Painter’s bread-and-butter pitch in the minors, especially before he had Tommy John elbow surgery in 2023. Major league hitters are hitting .404 and slugging .660 against it. Why do you think he struggled so much with it during his first experience in the big leagues?
A: Yeah, it’s a good question. I think a lot of different factors go into it, whether it’s his arm slot … I think it ultimately comes down to command. I think when you’re behind in counts, and when you throw balls in the middle of the plate, no matter how hard you’re throwing or who you are, you’re going to get hit. But there’s definitely some things we can clean up in his development plan that he’s going to be working on. But we’ve seen him in the past to where he can command the ball to all four quadrants, the shape on the fastball pre-injury was significantly different, so we’re working as an organization to get back to that.
Q: So, where do you guys go from here for a fifth starter?
A: I think, as an organization, we’ve done a pretty good job over the last few years of coming up with guys, either optionable guys or depth type of arms. I think all options are on the table right now. We feel really good about our pitching, in general, about our pitching depth in terms of our relievers. So, I think there’s different ways to get creative in how we do it. We’re still talking through it as a group, but I’m sure we’ll sit down and put the pieces together how they fall out.
The Phillies are hoping rookie outfielder Gabriel Rincones Jr., can give them some production after losing Adolis García for the season to shoulder surgery.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
Q: There have been two notable injuries within the last week in Adolis García and Brad Keller. How much do you feel like the depth of the 40-man roster is going to be tested here between those injuries and now Painter going to the minor leagues?
A: Yeah, I’ll touch on the pitching, the Keller side first. Obviously, we felt [his right forearm strain] was pretty minor, and something we, as an organization, we wanted to knock out, not let linger. So, don’t expect him to be out long term. We have some other guys coming back too, as well. Kyle Backhus shouldn’t be too far away here. So, in terms of relievers, we felt really good. I already touched on Andy, and how we’re going to get creative to do that. And then touching on the Adolis injury, obviously unfortunate. He was an elite defender in right field, showed a little bit of strides with the bat, and was getting to some power before the [strained lat muscle near his right shoulder]. But I think we, as an organization, believe in Gabriel Rincones. We’re excited to see him, a lot of good underlying skills that translate to major league success. He’s got to go out and do it. But we feel like he’s a guy that hits the ball really hard. In the minor leagues he put together really quality at-bats, controls the strike zone, and we think he’s got a chance to have some power.
Q: I think there are two factors that make this trade deadline on Aug. 3 fascinating. One is that, in the American League, you have only five teams that are over .500 right now, so a lot of teams that are ordinarily leaning toward the sell column are hanging in there. But really the one that I’m fascinated by is this looming labor fight that we have at the end of the season. Is there any sense yet for whether that’s going to change the market dynamics at all?
A: It’s not something we talk about internally. I think it kind of depends. The next six weeks will [determine] which way teams fall. Obviously, it’s pretty quiet right now. You’re still talking to teams and checking in, and more just having conversations to kind of lay some groundwork. But pretty quiet right now. You have the draft coming, too, so teams are having their focus in a lot of different areas. But I’m sure over the next two to three weeks to a month, things will start to pick up a little bit.
After the Phillies fired manager Rob Thomson (left) on April 28, bench coach Don Mattingly (right) was elevated to interim manager.Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer
Q: What was that first conversation like with your dad after Dave Dombrowski made the decision to elevate him to interim manager after Rob Thomson was fired?
A: It was definitely a unique situation. I know Dave spoke to my dad and talked to him about stepping into the role. I followed him up with a call, and just kind of made sure he was comfortable. And I think the great thing is we’re both here for the same reason, which is to help the organization win a championship. He’s been around the game a really long time. He’s built a lot of relationships with the players in our clubhouse already, so it’s definitely been unique. But it’s been really gratifying, too. I think I’ve said this a couple times, but getting texts from people around the league, in the moment it may have been a little bit … awkward, is maybe the word. But I think after the first couple days it was kind of business as usual. A lot of people around the league said some great things. ‘Just enjoy the moment. It’s not every day you get to work with your dad. And you’ll look back five or 10 years, 20 years later, and remember how special that was.’ So, I definitely have taken that to heart. He’s been great to work with, along with the rest of our coaching staff. So, yeah, it’s been really fun.
Q: Your dad said something when he was hired as bench coach in January about the importance of establishing trust with the players in the clubhouse, that he wasn’t going to go upstairs and talk to you about what was being said there. How have you two gone about navigating that balance?
A: Yeah, it’s definitely a topic that came up. I think we just want to be prepared. Front offices are pretty involved downstairs. We’re around a lot more, probably, than years ago. Obviously, my dad’s a professional. Things that are between him and the players stay between him and the players. We’re not looking to gather information, and, like I said, we’re just looking to try and win, and so there’s none of that going on.
Preston Mattingly (right), with Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, has been general manager since 2024.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
Q: What has it been like after all those years on opposite sides and different teams in different cities to actually be around each other almost every day?
A: When I was in San Diego, he was in Miami the entire time. I felt like I had two teams to follow. I’ve always followed his teams very closely, probably pretty opinionated on what they should do with their roster, who they should acquire. And then obviously he goes to Toronto and I come to Philly … you feel like you’re in the same industry, but you’re light-years apart. So it’s been great, just the daily conversations. I told somebody a couple weeks ago, over the last three years, just because what I’m doing, what he’s doing, I think I’ve seen him for maybe 10 days. Holidays, a couple days, a special day here, day there. So, it’s been great just to spend time together, have a daily conversation.
I’m sure for him, every off-day at home, he’s come over to my house and enjoyed my family a little bit, which he doesn’t get to see as much. So, just things like that. It’s just really cool to spend time together. Since I left the house at 17, we haven’t really spent much time together. So, it’s just been fun in that regard, and then just working on the same team. Sports are great competition. Working as a group is as good as it gets, so getting to do that with your dad is pretty special.
They gathered at the usual time (shortly before 3 p.m.), in the usual spot (around home plate) for early batting practice. Bryson Stott and Alec Bohm were there; J.T. Realmuto, too.
What else did you expect? Yes, the Face of the Phillies prefers the indoor cage for his pregame swings. But Harper felt like launching balls into the seats Saturday and wound up hitting for the cycle a few hours later.
So, there was Harper, hitting on the field again Sunday, and sticking with his 35-ounce “heavy” bat instead of the 31½-ounce model that he ditched the night before. And guess what? Yep, he got three more hits — a triple short of another cycle — in a 6-2 rubber-game victory over the Mets that was powered by another titanic Kyle Schwarber homer.
“I don’t know if that’s translating to the game,” Harper said of the early hitting, the heavier lumber, and seven hits in his last nine at-bats. “Obviously the last two days have been great.”
Surely, Harper wants to bottle this feeling.
But it isn’t only Harper. Or even Schwarber, who has blasted four homers in the last two games, leads the planet with 29, and is on pace to finish with 61, which would be a record for a franchise that has existed for 144 seasons.
The Phillies’ Bryce Harper celebrates after hitting a home run in the fifth inning on Sunday.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
As the Phillies capped a winning homestand and caught a train to Washington to play four games this week, the bats are finally revving up. In going 4-2 against the Marlins and Mets, they produced a total of 44 runs on 60 hits, including 11 home runs, five of which came from Schwarber and two from Harper.
“It’s pretty, pretty special,” Zack Wheeler said after allowing two runs in 5⅔ innings. “I mean, it’s pretty cool to see, you know? They’re capable of doing that every day. It’s crazy.
“And we have the guys around them, too, getting on base. They aren’t just solo home runs and stuff. We’re putting good at-bats together and looking like a good, total offense.”
The pitching, notably co-aces Cristopher Sánchez and Wheeler and star closer Jhoan Duran, carried the Phillies from a 9-19 start back into wild-card position.
Now that they’re here, the offense is percolating, led by the Harper-Schwarber Show, just in time for summer.
“That’s kind of what we expect of ourselves as an offense, right?” Harper said. “When we get going and clicking like that, I think when me and Schwarbs have big swings or great at-bats, we’ve got a chance to win games.”
The Phillies won the finale against the Mets by taking advantage of mistakes early, scoring two first-inning runs without a hit out of the infield. Then came Schwarber’s three-run homer in the second inning and Harper’s solo in the fifth.
Harper also doubled in the second inning and singled in the seventh. Was he hoping for one more at-bat to take a shot at another triple for another cycle?
“Absolutely,” he said, laughing. “I’m not going to lie to you. I wanted that last go-around, yeah. No, it was definitely in my head.”
Take a moment to wrap your head around Schwarber’s latest power binge. After launching 456- and 457-foot missiles halfway up the second deck Saturday night, he returned to that territory against Mets lefty David Peterson.
Schwarber hit 46, 47, 38, and 56 homers in his first four seasons with the Phillies. His best power numbers through 77 games: 23 homers, .530 slugging, .909 OPS last year.
This season: 29 homers, .603 slugging, .972 OPS.
There’s no telling how many more Schwarbombs will drop before the All-Star break.
“It is June,” Wheeler said.
Exit velocities of the last five balls in play by Kyle Schwarber:
And everyone knows Schwarber has hit more homers in his career in June (74) than any other month.
Wheeler, meanwhile, kept rolling in his remarkable return from thoracic outlet syndrome. He sidestepped back-to-back singles to open the second inning and shrugged off Carson Benge’s leadoff homer in the third.
After Wheeler walked the bases loaded with one out in the sixth, and with his pitch count up to 101, interim manager Don Mattingly went to the mound.
“Do you have one more hitter?” Mattingly asked.
Wheeler nodded.
“I was a little tired, but I wasn’t too tired to just keep going,” said Wheeler, who has a 2.11 ERA through 11 starts. “I was honest with [former manager] Rob [Thomson], and I’ll be honest with him. I felt like I had more in me.”
Wheeler got a ground ball and a force at second base before Jonathan Bowlan struck out Marcus Semien to finish the inning.
But offense was the theme of the week. And Saturday night, as Harper (cycle) and Schwarber (three homers) put on dueling talent shows against the Mets, Wheeler stood in the dugout and caught himself marveling at all of it.
“It’s hard to kind of take a step back while you’re actually playing and in the moment as somebody watching,” Wheeler said. “You hear about all the greats before you, so to speak, and you watched them as a fan. But I’m actually here watching these guys do some magic and do something special.
“And it’s gone on a long time now. They’re putting together unbelievable careers, and it’s fun to be present and watch it happen live.”
The Harper-Schwarber show, featuring heavy bats and thunderous homers, went on all weekend. The Phillies are counting on an extended run.
MILWAUKEE — Justin Crawford has started once against a non-opener lefty since Don Mattingly began managing the Phillies, so let’s not call it anything other than what it is.
“We’re pretty much platooning him,” Mattingly said.
That wasn’t the plan when the season opened, except that Crawford, a left-handed hitter, is 4-for-28 (.143) with three walks and no extra-base hits against lefties. And so, the Phillies changed their plan for the 22-year-old rookie center fielder.
But in relegating Crawford from an everyday role, a familiar chicken-or-egg question has resurfaced. What comes first for a young left-handed hitter: Producing against left-handed pitchers or facing them?
The Phillies went through this with Brandon Marsh after trading for him at the deadline in 2022. Kyle Schwarber dealt with it early in his career with the Cubs. Mattingly even sat against lefties as a rookie with the Yankees in 1983 before becoming Donnie Baseball.
For them, and other left-handed hitters who eventually solve lefties, it’s a rite of passage. For many others, it becomes a more permanent condition, especially if they don’t eventually get more at-bats against lefties.
Phillies center fielder Justin Crawford bats the Chicago White Sox on Sunday.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
And Mattingly, as much as anyone, is aware of the two edges of that particular sword.
“I kind of rely on my own history because when I first came up, I platooned, and it wasn’t a terrible thing for me,” he said. “I probably would’ve struggled with the lefties. [Crawford]’s a guy that I think is going to hit lefties. But the amount of lefties we see, we don’t see a ton. So, it’s days where he can step back and keep working on his swing.”
Besides, it’s not like Crawford is exactly teeing off on righties. He went 15-for-44 (.341) with four doubles, one triple, and an .885 OPS in his first 14 games. The league adjusted to him, and Crawford hasn’t adjusted back, going 29-for-150 (.193) with a .528 OPS in his last 50 games.
Crawford was a polarizing prospect due to his extreme tendency to hit ground balls. Sure enough, among 253 hitters with at least 150 plate appearances, he has the second-highest ground-ball rate (59.6%).
“There’s been ups and there’s been downs, but we knew that was going to happen with him,” president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said. “He has somewhat of an unusual swing. We knew that all along. Kind of sprays the ball all over the place. He’s working through it.
“He started off a little bit quickly, but lately it’s been a little bit more of a struggle. But he keeps working, and we think he’ll work his way through it.”
Justin Crawford reacts after he’s called out following an ABS challenge last month.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Maybe. For now, though, it will have to happen against primarily right-handed starting pitchers.
“When you’re on that side of the platoon, you’re getting between 450 and 500 at-bats, so you’re playing regular,” Mattingly said. “I don’t think it’s something that sets him back. It will set him back a little bit from my standpoint of dealing with lefties.
“But this is more about him having success, giving him the best chance, and then let him grow into the lefties.”
Not out of left field
Edmundo Sosa remains a work-in-progress left fielder. But making only his seventh start of the season there Saturday night, he made a diving catch — and replaced a sizable divot — in the fifth inning.
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) June 14, 2026
“I’d say like, in general, he’s an infielder who we’re kind of getting more and more time out there in left, and he hasn’t hurt us, right?” Mattingly said. “He’s caught everything he should have caught. He’s made some nice plays. He throws the ball where he’s supposed to throw it. So, he’s been solid for us.”
Sosa started again in left field against another lefty, the Brewers’ Kyle Harrison, in Sunday’s series finale here. In the outfield alignment against lefties, the Phillies prefer moving Marsh to right field and using newly acquired Derek Hill in center.
(Marsh plays left field, with Crawford in center against righties. Gabriel Rincones Jr., recalled from triple A on Friday, will take over in right field for injured Adolis García.)
The Phillies are expected to explore trading for a righty-hitting outfielder before the Aug. 3 deadline, especially after losing García to a torn lat muscle near his right shoulder. The Phillies are lining up additional medical opinions before García elects season-ending surgery.
“It’s an important one for him and his career,” Mattingly said. “So, everybody wants to get it right and not have to rush into anything right now.”
Phillies outfielder Adolis Garcia and teammate Edmundo Sosa celebrate in the dugout against the Washington Nationals earlier this season.Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer
Extra bases
Mattingly said the Phillies may consider using a day off Friday to separate Andrew Painter and Aaron Nola in the rotation to avoid taxing the bullpen on back-to-back days. … The Phillies return home Monday night to face the Marlins. Zack Wheeler (5-1, 2.22 ERA) is scheduled to start at 6:40 p.m. against right-hander Ryan Gusto (0-1, 6.00).
TORONTO — Moments after the Blue Jays’ World Series hopes dwindled away in Game 7 against the Dodgers last November, Don Mattingly sat in Toronto’s dugout and looked out at the field at Rogers Centre.
Bo Bichette, who departed the Jays for the Mets in free agency a few months later, shared a hug with his bench coach before they disappeared into the clubhouse.
“I was just kind of watching the end of it, and taking it in,” Mattingly said. “I usually get out of the dugout after a game, but that one I just kind of watched, took it in, and then Bo came over.”
Bo Bichette hugs Don Mattingly after World Series loss.
On Monday, Mattingly was sitting at that ballpark but in the opposite dugout, now as the Phillies’ interim manager. It marked his first visit to the Rogers Centre since the 11-inning, 5-4 loss that cemented the Dodgers as back-to-back champions.
Over his more than four decades in baseball as a player, manager, and coach, 2025 was Mattingly’s first time being involved in a World Series.
“What I learned: It’s hard to get there; it’s hard to move through each round,” he said. “Just emotional, right? If you’re the team that doesn’t get the last out, it’s a crash. No matter if it’s at that level or it’s the first round. That feeling is the same.
“But once you get away from that, from last year’s standpoint, you really are proud of the team, right? What they were able to accomplish, the guys that are in there, and you feel for those guys, and they kind of laid their hearts out there.”
Don Mattingly has plenty of familiarity with the Blue Jays’ roster.Lynne Sladky
Mattingly spent three years as bench coach for Blue Jays manager John Schneider. He stepped down after the World Series, as he felt like he had accomplished his goal of helping Schneider, a younger manager, establish himself.
He couldn’t have predicted that five months later, he would be managing again. Mattingly initially planned to retire but changed his mind after he was approached by the Phillies in the offseason for their open bench coach job. And after Rob Thomson was fired following the Phillies’ slow start, Mattingly was back at the helm.
He said he’s taken many lessons from his previous stops into his position.
“I think a lot, the way Schneids does things, and the way Toronto actually does things,” Mattingly said. “But I can say the same from everywhere. From Miami, I can say the same from LA, I could say the same from being around Joe Torre with his staff. So you’re always taking. I always try to take from everyone, good or bad. Take the bad, and know that that’s not what you want to do, right? So I’m taking all the time.”
With this series against Toronto, Mattingly’s familiarity also gives him a leg up with game-planning.
“It’s a little less having to totally go through a club you don’t know anything about,” he said. “Like a lot of the White Sox guys we just got done playing, there was a lot of new faces that I hadn’t seen play before. It makes me more comfortable. I don’t know if it makes it easier, but I definitely kind of know who these guys are, in a sense, and how they use them. But you still got to get outs, and make plays, and all that kind of thing.”
Brandon Marsh slid over to center field on Monday.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
Extra bases
Justin Crawford sat against Blue Jays left-hander Patrick Corbin on Monday, with Edmundo Sosa drawing into the lineup at left field and Brandon Marsh sliding to center. … Zack Wheeler (5-1, 2.31 ERA) is scheduled to start against Blue Jays righty Dylan Cease (3-3, 3.05) on Tuesday. Cease will be making his first start since he was placed on the injured list on May 25 with a left hamstring strain.
