Red Sox’s Former Manager Alex Cora Could Be Phillies’ Top Rob Thomson Replacement
The Philadelphia Phillies’ Dave Dombrowski hired the Boston Red Sox manager and now both of their teams are under fire.
CINCINNATI, OHIO - MARCH 29: Manager Alex Cora #13 of the Boston Red Sox looks on from the dugout prior to a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on March 29, 2026 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Jeff Dean/Getty Images) Getty Images The Philadelphia Phillies season has not started as expected and there is plenty of blame to go around. Beyond the top of the batting order, the team’s offense has been a significant disappointment.
Several pitchers are struggling. The front office decision to reunite with Kyle Schwarber and JT Realmuto while doing little else has come into question. And manager Rob Thomson made a notable gaffe during the recent series opener against the division rival Atlanta Braves.
“The sixth inning was not the only failure, but it was a new type of issue. There appeared to be a breakdown in communication somewhere on the Phillies bench,” The Athletic’s Matt Gelb wrote after the team’s tenth-straight loss on Friday, which included reliever Kyle Backhus entering without a significant warmup to face Braves outfielder Michael Harris II, then promptly giving up the lead. “They have four lefties in the bullpen, and all of them were available to pitch Friday… Except the Phillies did not have a lefty ready.
” MORE FROM FORBES Phillies Boss Makes Rare Early-Season Move With Season In Crisis By Peter Chawaga Philadelphia Phillies’ Rob Thomson Under Fire As Team Struggles The Phillies have already extended Thomson for the 2027 season, but if their distance in the standings doesn’t shorten soon, it’s not unthinkable that the team could fire him. Thomson’s most likely replacement in that scenario seems to be in the dugout already, in bench coach and New York Yankees legend Don Mattingly. But the Phillies struggles, alongside those of the Boston Red Sox, are so pronounced that ESPN MLB reporter Buster Olney recently floated a replacement move that would bring in former Red Sox skipper Alex Cora.