The Philadelphia Phillies put together an incredibly productive month on the field in May, turning their season around.
They went 18-10, clawing their way back to the .500 mark after a brutal start to the campaign. Through 28 games, the team was 9-19 and decided to move on from manager Rob Thomson, firing him and hiring Don Mattingly on an interim basis.
A few days into June, that positive momentum has been carried over. The team has won its first two games of the month over the San Diego Padres, entering play on June 4 with a 32-29 record.
If the Phillies are going to keep that momentum heading in the right direction, they need a few players to step up. Here are three X-factors for the team in June.
Andrew Painter/J.T. Realmuto
The rookie starting pitcher and veteran catcher are tied at the hip. There is enough evidence now that Andrew Painter needs J.T. Realmuto behind the plate on the days he starts because of the drastic difference in his level of performance.
That is why they are X-factors as a tandem. Painter needs to figure things out in case Realmuto cannot be behind the plate on a given day. The veteran backstop has already been on the injured list once, and the team is making a concerted effort to scale back his playing time.
It would be a jolt to the offense if Realmuto could get things going at the plate, too. His numbers are way down with the bat for a fourth consecutive year, but he is incredibly valuable to the team with his defensive ability.
Justin Crawford
The rookie outfielder has taken his lumps this season. It is hard enough for Justin Crawford to learn a position as difficult as center field on the fly, but there was more leeway given when he was performing at a good level at the plate.
With his production with the bat disappearing, pressure is on to start figuring it out defensively. Philadelphia is committed to him, as they should be, as he is too talented to give up on this early.
And that is why he is an X-Factor. Crawford wasn’t a highly-rated prospect, earning the starting job on Opening Day by accident. There is a lot of skill there; he is just figuring things out at the Major League level.
A modest four-game hitting streak recently provided some hope that he can produce in the bottom third of the lineup.
Aaron Nola
The 2026 season was a rough one for Aaron Nola out of the gate. His struggles in 2025 were attributed mostly to not being healthy, but that was not the case this year, with him making every start.
He just wasn’t performing very well, struggling to locate his fastball. It was putting him behind in counts, and opponents were aggressively attacking the pitch when it was in the zone, leading to some truly ugly numbers.
However, over his last two starts, Nola has started to get into a rhythm. His pitch mix has changed, and it has resulted in much better production on the mound. If he can keep that up, the Phillies can stake a claim to having the best starting rotation in baseball.
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