The Philadelphia Phillies have come a long way since their 9-19 start to the season. The Phillies front office fired former manager Rob Thomson shortly after the 9-19 opening stretch on April 28, followed by promoting bench coach Don Mattingly as interim manager.
Since then, the Phillies roared back into contention, playing to a 56-39 record and currently sitting in second place in the National League East with a 66-58 record.
Alex Cora, another manager who was fired in the early part of the 2026 season, was offered the Phillies interim manager role by Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, but turned it down, is expected to take over as the full-time manager in 2027.
Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
But a Sunday report from Bob Nightengale of USA Today suggests that Mattingly may still have a path to sticking around. Nightengale reported that it would take Mattingly leading the Phillies deep into the postseason, potentially to a World Series appearance or title, to be brought back for next season.
Mattingly has stated in the past that he would like to remain the club's manager long-term, and he now has a real shot at doing just that. The Phillies sit outside the final NL wild card spot tied with the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks, but with more than a month left to play, they'll need a strong push to give Mattingly a chance.
The Phillies host the Minnesota Twins on Sunday as Mattingly looks to build a postseason case that could keep him in the dugout beyond this year.
