The Philadelphia Phillies have fired manager Rob Thomson following a disappointing 9-19 start to the 2026 Major League Baseball season, marking an early and significant reset for a club that entered the year with postseason expectations.
Bench coach Don Mattingly has been appointed interim manager for the remainder of the campaign, according to ESPN and other reports. The move comes after Philadelphia lost 11 of its first 12 recent games and fell near the bottom of the league standings.
The Phillies’ poor opening stretch exposed problems across multiple areas of the roster. The team struggled to generate consistent offence, while its pitching staff also failed to deliver at the level expected from a club built to contend in the National League. Those issues increased pressure on the coaching staff and ultimately led the front office to make a managerial change less than a month into the season.
Thomson had managed the Phillies since June 2022, when he replaced Joe Girardi. His tenure began with immediate success, as he guided Philadelphia to the 2022 World Series and later helped the club remain a regular playoff contender. He also became one of the few managers in franchise history to lead the Phillies to four consecutive postseason appearances.
Despite that track record, the team’s sharp decline at the start of 2026 forced the organisation into an early-season course correction. By promoting Mattingly, the Phillies are turning to an experienced baseball figure with previous managerial stints with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Miami Marlins as they attempt to stabilise the season and recover from a difficult start.
