The Philadelphia Phillies fired manager Rob Thomson on Tuesday after an abysmal first month of the 2026 MLB season.
The Phillies are 10-19, tied with the New York Mets for the worst record in baseball, and Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski was asked whether Thomson or the players were “more to blame” for that.
“Well, this isn’t a blame game,” Dombrowski said in the press conference. “That’s not that. We collectively are not doing well. This is a whole group.”
Dombrowski added, “I don’t think we’re playing up to our capabilities. I think we’re a much better club than we’ve played. And so, you make some decisions that are tough at times.”
Thomson is willing to take the blame, however.
“When you’re not playing well, and you’re the manager of a ball club, you’re held accountable, and rightly so,” Thomson told reporters, per ESPN’s Jesse Rogers. “I wasn’t officially offered anything, but I am open to staying in this organization. I’ve said throughout my four years as manager here [that] I don’t want to go anywhere else. I love this organization.”
To that end, Dombrowski said during his press conference that he “had thought about at this time offering [Thomson] if he wanted to be special assistant right away,” but Thomson is expected to take a break for a little while.
Dombrowski said Thomson is “always welcome” with the Phillies and anticipates that fans will give him “a deserved standing ovation” upon his apparently inevitable return in a different role.
In the meantime, Don Mattingly was promoted from bench coach to interim manager.
Thomson was named interim manager when the Phillies fired Joe Girardi in June 2022. Philadelphia was an underwhelming 22-29 at the time, but under Thomson, the Phillies reached the 2022 World Series, losing to the Houston Astros in six games. The Phillies reached the National League Championship Series the following year, but have exited the playoffs by losing 3-1 in the NLDS in each of the past two years.
Thomson is holding out hope that the Phillies can replicate the 2022 season with Mattingly.
“I still think, and I hope, because I love these guys, that this team’s going to turn this thing around, and they’re going to get hot,” Thomson said. “I have a bunch of different reasons why, but one is the fact that there’s a lot of talent in there.”
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