The Phillies have selected Bowker with the 100th overall pick in the 2025 First-Year Player Draft.
Bowler's low-90s fastball actually plays like a plus pitch thanks to it's high sping and low arm slot. He'll need to improve his secondary offerings and control, as his 8.9 percent walk rate this spring for Vanderbilt was his best mark in three years of college.
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Phillies' Cade Obermueller: Popped by Phillies
Rotowire
The Phillies have selected Obermueller with the 63rd overall pick in the 2025 First-Year Player Draft.
Obermueller's walk rate was over 15 percent his first two years at Iowa, but he he had a breakout junior year, logging a 3.02 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 23.9 K-BB% in 83.1 innings across 15 starts for the Hawkeyes. Not only did his strike throwing improve this spring (15.2 BB% in 2024, 9.0 BB% in 2025), but his fastball ticked up and now sits 91-94 mph while touching 98 mph with excellent metrics. His low-80s slider is arguably his best pitch, and Obermueller would have a clear future in relief based on those two pitches if his control regresses or his 6-foot, 170-pound frame doesn't hold up under a starter's workload. The slight southpaw will also need to sharpen up his third-pitch changeup to stick in the rotation.
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Phillies' Bryson Stott: Registers steal in win
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Stott went 1-for-4 with a stolen base in Sunday's 2-1 win over the Padres.
Stott is off to a quiet start in July, going 5-for-30 (.167) with three walks over nine games to begin the month. His theft Sunday was his first of the month and his 14th of the year on 17 chances, which is a bit of a decline after he posted back-to-back 30-steal campaigns. The 27-year-old has added a .234/.303/.333 slash line with six home runs, 38 RBI, 38 runs scored, nine doubles and two triples over 86 contests.
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Phillies' Matt Strahm: Secures save Sunday
Rotowire
Strahm walked two in a scoreless inning to earn the save in Sunday's 2-1 win over the Padres.
Strahm threw just seven of 16 pitches for strikes, but he was able to avoid giving up a run to preserve a thing lead. He's on a six-inning scoreless streak, during which he has picked up two saves and one hold while adding a 7:4 K:BB. Strahm is at a 3.29 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 44:12 K:BB with six saves, 10 holds and four blown saves over 38.1 innings this season. The Phillies' closer role is a committee at this point, but Strahm has been more reliable than Jordan Romano or Orion Kerkering in recent weeks.
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Phillies' Gage Wood: Lands in Philly
Rotowire
The Phillies have selected Wood with the 26th overall pick in the 2025 First-Year Player Draft.
Wood showed loud stuff as a reliever his first two years at Arkansas while logging FIPs in the 3.00s and ERAs in the 4.00s and moved to the rotation as a junior. He suffered a shoulder impingement early in the year that cost him two months but dominated down the stretch, culminating in a 19-K no-hitter in the College World Series against Murray State -- just the third no-hitter in CWS history. For the season, Wood logged a 3.82 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 69:7 K:BB in 37.2 innings across 10 starts. The 6-foot, 205-pound righty sat 96 mph (touched 98) with his fastball this spring and the pitch also has excellent movement, making it arguably the best fastball in the class. A plus curveball is his best secondary, while his slider and changeup lag behind as fringe-average, seldom-used offerings. Wood seemingly has the command to start, but he has yet to prove he can handle a starter's workload and he'll have to find a reliable third pitch at some point.
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Phillies' Cristopher Sanchez: Strong in eighth win
Rotowire
Sanchez (8-2) allowed one run on six hits and three walks while striking out six over 7.1 innings to earn the win over the Padres on Sunday.
Sanchez has rattled off eight straight quality starts since the beginning of June, and impressively, he hasn't allowed more than two runs in any of them. Over that span, he has a 1.63 ERA across 55.1 innings. The 28-year-old southpaw concludes the first half with a 2.50 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 122:32 K:BB through 115 innings across 19 starts. His next start is projected to be during the Phillies' second series after the All-Star break, which is at home versus the Red Sox.
Kepler is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Padres.
After exiting Wednesday's 13-0 win over the Giants with a bruised shin, Kepler was cleared to start in both of the Phillies' first two contests in San Diego, going 0-for-5 with a pair of walks and a run scored between those games. Though the lefty-hitting Kepler isn't believed to be dealing with any setbacks, he'll be held out of the lineup against a right-hander (Nick Pivetta) on Sunday in what looks to be nothing more than a rest day with the All-Star break on the horizon. Otto Kemp will cover left field in Kepler's stead.
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Phillies' Alec Bohm: Not starting Sunday
Rotowire
Bohm is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Padres.
As expected, Bohm won't start in the Phillies' final game before the All-Star break after he was lifted from Saturday's 5-4 loss in the fourth inning, two innings after he was hit on the left rib cage by a pitch. According to Lochlahn March of The Philadelphia Inquirer, Bohm wasn't sent in for an X-rays after team trainers determined that he avoided a fracture, but the 28-year-old is still dealing with some residual soreness and bruising on his rib. Manager Rob Thomson didn't rule out the possibility of Bohm making a pinch-hitting appearance Sunday, though the Phillies would probably prefer to stay away from him. Edmundo Sosa will fill in for Bohm at third base.
Nola (ankle, rib) threw a 40-pitch bullpen session Saturday in Clearwater, Florida, per MLB.com.
Nola is scheduled to throw live batting practice Tuesday and next Saturday. The veteran right-hander is working his way back from a right ankle sprain and subsequent stress fracture in his right rib, and the expectation is that he'll be able to re-enter Philadelphia's rotation at some point in early-to-mid August. Given that he'll have been on the shelf for over two months once the All-Star break begins, Nola is likely to require several minor-league rehab starts.
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Phillies' Alec Bohm: Unlikely to play Sunday
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Phillies manager Rob Thomson said after Saturday's 5-4 loss to San Diego that Bohm (ribs) is doubtful to play in Sunday's series finale, Lochlahn March of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
Bohm was hit by a pitch in the left ribs during the second inning Saturday, though he was able to stay in the game for another two frames. Thomson said after the contest that Bohm didn't get an MRI, but he explained that Bohm is "pretty sore," adding that the injury may have affected the third baseman's swing. Sunday is the final game of the first half for Philadelphia, so if Bohm sits out, he'll have five full days to recover before the start of the second half Friday. Edmundo Sosa took over at third base following Bohm's exit and could start at the hot corner Sunday.
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Phillies' Bryce Harper: Records steal Saturday
Rotowire
Harper went 1-for-3 with a double, two walks and a stolen base in Saturday's 5-4 loss to the Padres.
Harper has gone 7-for-20 (.350) with four walks and five extra-base hits over the first five games of the Phillies' road trip out west. The first baseman also logged his first steal since May 21 versus the Rockies, though he missed time due to wrist inflammation in the gap between steals. Harper is now at a .260/.372/.448 slash line for the year while adding 10 homers, nine thefts, 35 RBI, 36 runs scored and 17 doubles across 67 contests.
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Phillies' J.T. Realmuto: Collects three hits in loss
Rotowire
Realmuto went 3-for-4 with an RBI double in Saturday's 5-4 loss to the Padres.
Realmuto has posted a trio of three-hit efforts in July, going 14-for-33 (.424) across nine games this month. He's added three RBI and four doubles, but he hasn't hit a home run since May 21 in Colorado. The catcher is at a .264/.322/.376 slash line with five homers, 31 RBI, 35 runs scored, five stolen bases, 16 doubles and one triple across 78 games. While his power looks to be in full decline, he's still making steady contact overall.
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Phillies' Zack Wheeler: Allows four runs in no-decision
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Wheeler allowed four runs on six hits and a walk while striking out six over six innings in a no-decision versus the Padres on Saturday.
Wheeler had given up one run or fewer in five of his previous six starts, posting a 0.68 ERA and 54:7 K:BB across 40 innings in that span. The Padres were able to get some revenge for the eight shutout innings he twirled against them June 30 in Philadelphia. This was also the first time all year Wheeler has given up multiple home runs in a start, as Jackson Merrill took him deep twice. Wheeler still has a superb 2.36 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 154:26 K:BB through 122 innings over 19 starts this season.
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Phillies' Matt Strahm: Fires clean eighth inning Saturday
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Strahm threw a clean eighth inning in Saturday's 5-4 loss to San Diego. He struck out two.
Even though Strahm hasn't seen a save chance since June 29, he's been excellent to start July. The veteran left-hander has fanned multiple batters in three of his first four appearances of the month, allowing a lone hit over four scoreless innings so far. It's worth noting Orion Kerkering has stumbled to a 6.23 ERA over his last 4.1 frames, which should give Strahm a leg up in Philadelphia's competition for save opportunities going forward.
Bohm was pulled from Saturday's contest against San Diego due to a bruised left rib, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.
Bohm was plunked by a pitch in the ribs in the second inning but initially remained in the contest, and he even rounded the bases to score in that frame. He had another at-bat in the third but was replaced defensively by Edmundo Sosa in the bottom of the fourth frame. Given that he wasn't yanked immediately, Bohm may not be dealing with a major injury, though the Phillies could opt to hold him out of the lineup Sunday to give him ample time to recover given that it's the final game before the All-Star break.
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