Alec Bohm says left shoulder has been bothering him ‘off and on for most of the season’

PHOENIX — Alec Bohm is 4-for-9 with a home run and a double in his first two games back from the injured list.

A brief pause to his season might be exactly what he needed. He missed the last 10 games prior to the Arizona series with left shoulder inflammation. It wasn’t a new injury.

“It’s been kind of off and on for most of the season,” Bohm said.

When Bohm went on the injured list in July with a rib fracture, he did not swing a bat for the week. The left shoulder improved with rest, and Bohm thought he could manage it through the end of the year.

The pain worsened as he kept playing, so the Phillies decided to take care of it. He went on the injured list on Sept. 9, the same day the Phillies lost Trea Turner to a hamstring strain. Turner, who could face live pitching when the Phillies return home, may get into games during the final week of the regular season.

A healthier Bohm could be a massive boost to the Phillies lineup.

“I’m just getting through the ball better, not cutting my swing off,” Bohm said.

Bohm’s fourth inning solo home run was his 10th of the season and first since Aug. 17. Power has never been a consistent part of his game, but his .394 slugging percentage is down relative to his last two seasons, when he slugged a combined .442 in 2023 and 2024. He doubled 44 times in 606 plate appearances last season. Bohm has 16 doubles in 473 plate appearances in 2025.

The shoulder may have been part of the issue.

“I think for a little while there, it was just kind of stuck,” Bohm said. “(My) best ball was just hitting the ball the other way. I really wasn’t doing a lot of damage.”

But Bohm knows what it feels like when he’s going well. He has four RBIs through his first two games back.

“Just kind of keep building on the consistency of it,” Bohm said. “I think today, when I swung, I put the ball in play, which is more on par for what I do. When I feel like when I’m good, when I decide to swing at a pitch and make the right decision, the balls get put in play. Swinging at stuff on the edges and chasing, you’re probably going to foul this off. … I think when I’m making a good decision and putting the ball in play on the barrel hard, that’s an indicator of me being in a good spot.”