Bryson Stott homers as Phillie s explode in ninth

It’ll be Edmundo Sosa against LHP Anthony Kay. Stott had started the last six games, including one against a left-hander, and has essentially been a full-time player under new manager Don Mattingly. It’s Sosa’s first start since May 27.

Stott didn’t get off to a good start this year. He hit .198 in his first 29 games. He’s turned it around in May, though. Stott has hits in 16 of his last 18 games and is hitting .306 with three home runs, 14 RBI, seven runs and four steals in that time. It’s safe to say his slump is over at this point.

After the Reds took a one-run lead in the top of the 8th inning, Stott clubbed a two-run home run off Graham Ashcraft to put the Phillies on top for good. Stott has had really good contact metrics all season, but the production hadn’t been there early on. It’s starting to tick up lately. In May, Stott is hitting .254 with five doubles, five home runs, 18 RBIs, and an .890 OPS in 15 games. Those 18 RBIs lead all of Major League Baseball in the month.

Stott smacked a two-run double off of Isaac Mattson in the sixth inning that pushed the Phillies’ lead to 5-0. He then added to it with a 395-foot (108.7 mph EV) solo shot off of Dennis Santana in the eighth. With his two-hit day, the 28-year-old infielder is now slashing .224/.268/.385 with four homers, 21 RBI and nine swipes through his first 155 plate appearances on the season.

The Red Sox used a lefty opener tonight, but Stott was in there anyway. He might have started even against a traditional lefty, as the Phillies are taking a look at Edmundo Sosa in the outfield. Sosa has to play somewhere against lefties, but if he can handle left just fine, the Phillies are probably better off with Stott at second and Brandon Marsh in center than with Sosa at second, Justin Crawford in center and Stott on the bench. Stott is batting .256 with three homers, four doubles, 11 RBI and three steals in 11 games this month.

The Phillies brought six of their seven runs in to score in the first inning, highlighted by a Bryston Stott three-run homer off Chris Paddack. It’s been a slow start for the 28-year-old infielder. He’s hitting .206/.260/.330 with two homers, eight runs scored, 11 RBI, and six steals across 106 plate appearances.

Stott got a hold of a slider from Cade Gibson with two runners on in the top of the seventh inning and deposited it into right-center field to push the Phillies’ lead to 6-1. It was the first homer of the season for Stott, who entered the day slashing .207/.258/.276. It was a much-needed good day for Stott, but this shouldn’t do anything to move his fantasy stock.

Only 12 qualified hitters in MLB swung at a lower percentage of pitches than Stott did in 2025, so the middle infielder is working to put his best swing on pitches earlier in the count: “I get into hitter’s counts and, in the past, I would either slow down to hit it or something of that nature. Now, more just taking my ‘A’ swing, and if I miss it, I miss it. Instead of getting myself out by check swinging or a soft swinging just to touch it. It’s more of being ultra aggressive on hitter’s counts and going from there.” The results haven’t been there so far, but it’s certainly a change that should be beneficial for Stott, so perhaps a bit more time to adjust to the new approach will lead to more success.

Bryson Stott was all kinds of hot this spring and Marsh wasn’t at all, so it made sense to have those two swap lineup spots initially, with Stott moving up to fifth and Marsh sliding down to seventh. However, since the games began to count, Stott has a .586 OPS and Marsh is at .890. Marsh is still batting seventh for now, but it seems like it might be time to go back to the original plan.

Stott is back in there for the Phillies after sitting out back-to-back contests with left-handed starters on the bump. The 28-year-old second baseman figures to continue sitting against southpaws with Edmundo Sosa getting those early-season opportunities.