Phillies

Rob Thomson’s Platoon Plan is Working, and the Phillies Should Keep Doing It

By Luke Arcaini

Published: Aug 12th, 2025 · 9:27 AM EDT

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Rob Thomson caught a lot of pushback from Phillies fans when he decided to continue with his outfield platoon plan after the trade deadline.

I get it. Phillies fans want to see the newest deadline acquisition, Harrison Bader, play every day. I still expect him to play more this season than he’s playing now, even though he’s got some nice run over the last few games.

For the last several months, there’s been a freakout on social media every time that Max Kepler or Weston Wilson is in the lineup. While both were struggling earlier in the year, they’ve both started to hit the ball hard as of late, and it’s been huge for a team that’s gotten hot to start August.

Wilson is hitting .429 since the trade deadline with a 1.252 OPS. He’s started to find the 2024 version of himself that was a valuable player for the Phillies against left-handed pitching. Kepler holds an .807 OPS in the month of August, with two multi-hit games over his last three.

There’s one more decision that looms on this Phillies team, and it will probably be made on Friday: to call up Justin Crawford, or not. The 21-year-old is hitting .330 in Triple A this year with an .851 OPS and holds a .414 on-base percentage. There’s worry about his ground ball rate, but there’s no doubt that he’s an impactful player.

So what are they waiting for?

If the Phillies wait to call Crawford up till after August 15th, then 2025 won’t start Crawford’s control with the club, and he’d still hold his rookie status in 2026. If the Phillies called up Crawford, Kepler would probably be the odd-man out.

Note: August 15th isn’t the hard start date: but that’s the day that a lot of team’s tend to wait for if they’re making that decision. A player can’t reach his first level of service time, and can still keep rookie status for the following year as long as they don’t hit 130 ABs, 50 innings pitched, or 45 days on the MLB roster.

Kepler admitted that this season hasn’t gone how he’s wanted it to. Thomson, Kepler, and the team have all said it feels like Kepler has been getting screwed by some balls in play. He’s been hitting the ball hard recently and now he’s seeing the results that he’d hoped for all year.

Probably the most important turnaround in the Phillies lineup, since July 23rd, the birth of his second child, is Bryson Stott. Stott is hitting .421 in August, going 8 for 19 with 2 doubles, 1 triple, 6 RBIs, 4 walks, and just 5 strikeouts. He currently has a .500 on-base percentage over the last 12 days. So, why isn’t he playing every single day?

Because Edmundo Sosa is a valuable player against lefties. Sosa is hitting .281 in August with a .781 OPS, and is slashing .341/.394/.518 against left-handed pitching this year with a .911 OPS. It’s a .350 swing from righties to lefties.

Stott, Marsh, and Kepler is the plan against righties. Sosa, Wilson, Bader is the plan against lefties. It’s worked, and Thomson won’t back off of it for that reason.

The Phillies manager announced a 6-day platoon “trial” plan the day after the trade deadline. It began on August 1st. He’s decided to roll with it even after the six days. Since then, the Phillies are 8-2 with a 51-25 (+26) run differential. They’ve scored 4+ runs in seven of those games. The plan that everybody dreaded and hated on Thomson for has the Phillies in one of their best stretches of the season.

Phillies platoon players since August 1st

• Brandon Marsh: 1.314 OPS
• Weston Wilson: 1.252 OPS
• Bryson Stott: 1.132 OPS
• Max Kepler: .807 OPS
• Edmundo Sosa: .781 OPS
• Harrison Bader: .593 OPS

This is one of the first times this year that the Phillies truly feel like a serious, serious threat to win the World Series. They’re clicking on all cylinders. The lineup is hot, specifically the bottom of the order (the platoon guys). The rotation is still holding it down. The bullpen has found their identity and has allowed one run in their last 22.2 innings pitched. All year, it’s felt like they’ve always had one lingering flaw, but it doesn’t feel that way right now.

When you give guys a little more playing time than normal, they’re bound to succeed. That’s been Rob Thomson’s plan over the years with platooning. The Phillies are starting to see impactful Weston Wilson again. Max Kepler is starting to see results. Bryson Stott might be the hottest hitter on the team. Edmundo Sosa is raking against left-handed pitching. Brandon Marsh is having an incredible year against righties.

The platoon is working, and they shouldn’t stop it anytime soon.