Rob Thomson is the next manager domino to fall.
Despite making the playoffs in each of his previous four seasons in charge, ESPN’s Jeff Passan is reporting the Phillies have fired Thomson after he oversaw a 9-19 start to the 2026 season. Bench coach Don Mattingly will take his place as the team's interim manager. Mattingly's son, Preston, is Philadelphia's general manager.
Philadelphia is currently tied with the Mets for the worst record in baseball. The team enters Tuesday having lost 12 of its last 14 games, and carries MLB's worst run differential at -54. The Mets are next closest at -30.
The Phillies are coming off back-to-back NL East titles, but that didn’t matter after what has happened to open this season. The younger Mattingly, and president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski made a swift move in an attempt to turn the campaign around before it gets away from his team.
Mattingly managed the Dodgers from 2011 until ‘15, and the Marlins from ‘16 through the ‘22 campaign. He has a lifetime record of 889-950 (.453), and won three division titles with L.A.
The 62-year-old Thomson had a wildly successful run as Philadelphia’s manager after he took over on an interim basis when Joe Girardi was fired on June 3, 2022. Like Mattingly, he was elevated from his position as bench coach.
Rob Thomson’s record with the Phillies
Thomson had a long career with the Yankees organization, beginning in 1990 and lasting until 2017. He was a bench coach for New York’s 2009 World Series-winning team under Girardi. He left the Yankees in 2018 to become Philadelphia's bench coach under then-manager Gabe Kapler. When Kapler was fired and Girardi took over as the Phillies' manager, he retained Thomson.
In 2022, the Phillies were 22-29 when Girardi was fired and Thomson was elevated. He turned things around quickly.
The team went 65-46 over its final 111 games and earned a playoff berth as a wild-card team. The Phillies swept the Cardinals in the wild-card round, then topped the Braves 3-1 in the NLDS. Thomson’s squad dominated the Padres in the NLCS to reach the World Series, where the Astros topped them in six games. It was a phenomenal run from the Phillies after such an awful start to the season.
The Phillies went 90-72 in 2023 but lost in the NLCS to the Diamondbacks. In 2024 they won the NL East after going 95-67, but they fell to the Mets in the NLDS. Philly won the NL East again in 2025, posting a 96-66 record, the best of Thomson’s tenure but, again, they fell to the Dodgers in the NLDS.
Overall, Thomson had a fantastic record of 355-270 (.568) as the team’s manager and led them to a World Series. Unfortunately, he couldn't overcome his team's horrid start to the season.
The Phillies’ offense currently ranks 29th in wRC+ (83), batting average (.219), OPS (.656), and offensive runs above average (-20.8) and 28th in runs (102). Meanwhile, the pitching staff is dead last in opponents batting average (.286), 29th in WHIP (1.48) and 28th in ERA (5.13).
Nothing is going right in Philadelphia, and Thomson was the fall guy.
More MLB from Sports Illustrated
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- Alex Cora Shares Emotional Message to Red Sox Fans in First Comments Since Being Fired
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Phillies Fire Rob Thomson After Brutal Start to 2026.
