PHILADELPHIA — He’s played here before, but when Mike Trout steps into the batter’s box to face off with Cristopher Sánchez on Tuesday night at Citizens Bank Park to start the All-Star Game, it’ll mark his first time playing in South Philly on a stage like this.

Trout is leading off and playing center field for the American League.

“I never would of envisioned this,” Trout said. “But now that I’m here, I’m trying to soak it all in. It’s been great so far.”

This year is the first time Trout has been named an All-Star in three years. It’s the first time he’ll play in the Midsummer Classic since 2019.

There will be cheers for Trout whenever he’s announced throughout the night. Fans all over the area have wanted to see him in a Phillies uniform for a long time now. The Phillies could be in the market for a right-handed bat at this year’s trade deadline. But fans shouldn’t count on it being the guy from Millville, NJ.

“I hear this a lot,” Trout said about someday putting on the red pinstripes. “I enjoy coming to Philly. I’m an Angel, obviously. I have a no-trade clause. It’s ultimately my decision. But, like I said, I love Philly.”

PHILADELPHIA — When the National League takes the field for the start of the All-Star Game Tuesday night at Citizens Bank Park, Cristopher Sánchez will take the mound as the starting pitcher.

“This feels really special,” Sánchez said through Phillies interpreter Diego D’Aniello. “Really exciting. Even more so being here at home. So I’m just super excited, so I can come here tomorrow and just take it all in. So (I’m) going to lean in and just enjoy it overall.”

In 2026, this honor feels appropriate. It is not crazy. Sánchez is one of baseball’s premier pitchers. But rewind a few years, and it’s another once unthinkable milestone reached for a guy who was a lanky left-hander that could not throw strikes and profiled more as a reliever.

“I’ve been working (on) this from the beginning of my career,” Sánchez said. “At the early stages of my career, I was just a thrower, if you could say so. I think it’s just something that you pick up through the years when you work through the years.”

“I think the path to stardom isn’t linear,” Jesús Luzardo said. “And a lot of guys go through ups and downs. … And I think that (Sánchez) is a prime example of that.”

Sánchez, last year’s runner-up in the NL Cy Young race, is 11-4 with a 2.62 ERA. He was a serious option to start the game for Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who’s also managing the NL. But once the Brewers’ Jacob Misiorowski and the Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani were ruled out for the game, there really was nobody else to turn to but the Phillies ace.

“It’s an honor for me,” Sánchez said. “I wouldn’t say I’m nervous. I feel at home. I’m at home here, and that’s a point in favor for us, like being at home.”

Sánchez, shunned from last year’s game, has All-Star Game experience. It is limited. He pitched 2/3 of an inning for the NL in the 2024 version of the Midsummer Classic. He threw two pitches and induced two groundouts. The left-hander was the lone Phillie in that game at that point. This time around, it’ll be a little different.

Brandon Marsh is the NL’s starting right fielder. He’s batting seventh. With Ohtani out, Kyle Schwarber is the starting DH. He’s leading off.

The first pitch of Sánchez’s career was at Citizen’s Bank Park on June 6, 2021 against the Nationals. Now, 1,864 days later, he’ll throw out the first pitch of the All-Star Game in South Philly, a once unimaginable scenario that makes so much sense today. It’s quite remarkable.

“I think this could be described as the best moment in my career,” Sánchez said.

PHILADELPHIA — When Dodgers manager Dave Roberts hands his National League lineup card to home-plate umpire Alan Porter before Major League Baseball’s 96th All-Star Game on Tuesday night at Citizens Bank Park, three Phillies will be listed among the starters in their home stadium.

Left-handed ace Cristopher Sánchez, with a 2.62 ERA in 20 first-half starts, will start on the mound for the NL. Outfielder Brandon Marsh, voted a starter by the fans in a breakout season, will play right field and bat seventh. Slugger Kyle Schwarber will start as the designated hitter after Los Angeles two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani was ruled out for the All-Star Game with a knee issue; Schwarber will hit leadoff for the NL.

Star first baseman Bryce Harper, left-hander Jesús Luzardo and closer Jhoan Duran are also on the roster as reserves.

National League All-Star starting lineup

1. DH Kyle Schwarber, Phillies
2. LF Juan Soto, Mets
3. 1B Freddie Freeman, Dodgers
4. SS CJ Abrams, Nationals
5. 3B Max Muncy, Dodgers
6. 2B Ozzie Albies, Braves
7. RF Brandon Marsh, Phillies
8. CF Andy Pages, Dodgers
9. C Drake Baldwin, Braves

Starting pitcher: Cristopher Sánchez

American League All-Star starting lineup

1. CF Mike Trout, Angels
2. DH Yordan Alvarez, Astros
3. C Shea Langeliers, Athletics
4. 3B Junior Caminero, Rays
5. SS Bobby Witt, Royals
6. RF Cody Bellinger, Yankees
7. 1B Ben Rice, Yankees
8. LF Riley Greene, Tigers
9. 2B Ernie Clement, Blue Jays

Starting pitcher: Dylan Cease

Major League Baseball’s All-Star Week is under way in Philadelphia, as the city hosts baseball’s best players for the first time since July 1996. While certain events have already taken or are taking place, such as the All-Star Futures Game and the All-Star Village, the main festivities begin Monday night with the Home Run Derby. Then on Tuesday night comes the Midsummer Classic itself, the MLB All-Star Game.

The Phillies will be well-represented at both events. Eight MLB players will compete in Monday’s Home Run Derby, including two Phillies: Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber. No Philadelphia player has won the derby since Bobby Abreu and Ryan Howard won in back-to-back years in 2005 and 2006.

When the American and National Leagues’ best players face off Tuesday at Citizens Bank Park, six Phillies will be among the NL roster’s ranks: Harper and Schwarber, plus Brandon Marsh, Cristopher Sánchez, Jesús Luzardo, and Jhoan Durán. 

Schwarber and Marsh will be in the National League’s starting lineup, while Sánchez takes the mound for the NL. He will be the first Phillies pitcher to start an All-Star Game since Roy Halladay in 2011. Dylan Cease of the Toronto Blue Jays will be the American League’s starting pitcher.

The events Monday and Tuesday both start at 8 p.m. They will both be broadcasted nationally, but on separate platforms. A Netflix subscription is required to watch the Home Run Derby broadcast. 

Here’s when and where you can watch both competitions:

• Home Run Derby – Monday, July 13, at 8:00 p.m. ET: Netflix
• MLB All-Star Game – Tuesday, July 14, at 8:00 p.m. ET: FOX

PHILADELPHIA — The 2026 Major League Baseball All-Star Game festivities have already begun at Citizens Bank Park. But before the 96th Midsummer Classic can take place on Tuesday, the annual Home Run Derby is coming to Philadelphia on Monday. Two Phillies superstars, Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber, will be part of the eight-batter field before suiting up alongside four of their teammates for the National League the next night.

With both events in town, Phillies Nation decided to make some predictions. Here are each of our picks to win the Home Run Derby, along with a bold take about the All-Star Game: 

Destiny Lugardo

Home Run Derby winner: Munetaka Murakami

Bold prediction: Kyle Schwarber wins swing-off for second straight year 

White Sox slugger Munetaka Murakami means business. The Japanese slugger that the entire league whiffed on in the offseason will put on a show, beating out Harper in the finals. 

Every All-Star Game should end in a swing-off. If there’s another tie, you bet Schwarber will be around to win it again for the NL. 

Ty Daubert

Home Run Derby winner: Bryce Harper

Bold prediction: Ceddanne Rafaela wins All-Star Game MVP

Since it was announced that Philly would host the 2026 All-Star Game all the way back in 2019, Harper’s first year with the Phillies, it always felt like he would participate in the Home Run Derby. Now, it’s here and he’s in it. Schwarber and the other sluggers will be steep competition, but the stage is set for “The Showman.”

Red Sox outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela was named an All-Star replacement for the American League on Friday. He’s one of the best defensive center fielders in the majors, and he’ll show it at Citizens Bank Park with a home-run robbery off the bench. Add in a timely hit and that makes for a pretty compelling All-Star Game MVP case.

Bailey Digh

Home Run Derby winner: Jac Caglianone

Bold prediction: Zack Wheeler pitches

Jac Caglianone had insane raw power coming out of college. He’s hit the ball very hard, very often this season, and has one of the best average bat speeds in the majors. The 23-year-old hit a 500-foot-plus homer in college two years ago, and I think everything transfers over into a competition like this. He’s going to put on a show.

Yes, I know what you’re thinking. But how cool would it be if all the lights in CBP go out as the NL takes the field for defense, a spotlight appears at the steps of the first-base dugout, Alice in Chains’ “Rooster” starts to blare over the loudspeakers and Zack Wheeler starts jogging to the mound as if he’s a surprise entrant into the Royal Rumble? Pretty damn cool, if you ask me.

Nathan Ackerman

Home Run Derby winner: Junior Caminero 

Bold prediction: Bryce Harper wins All-Star Game MVP

Junior Caminero was the Derby runner-up last year to Cal Raleigh and has only built on it by cementing himself as one of the game’s best sluggers, with 28 taters in the first half. I’m too scarred by Schwarber losing to retiring 42-year-old Albert Pujols in the first round of the 2022 Derby, his most recent appearance, and Harper doesn’t have his dad throwing to him this time. Caminero spoils the event for the hometown duo and their fans.

… But Harper gets a chip on his shoulder from the Derby letdown and smacks a three-run opposite-field dinger in his only at bat of the All-Star Game. (Call it the eighth inning.) It’s the decisive blow in a wild 10-8 National League win and nets him MVP honors. 

Tyler Brown

Home Run Derby winner: Bryce Harper

Bold prediction: Jhoan Duran saves the game in the ninth for the National League

Harper has already won one Home Run Derby in front of his home crowd, and there’s no reason to think he won’t rise to the occasion again. The Phillies first baseman may not have his father throwing to him like he did in Washington in 2018, but he will employ the help of Dodgers third-base coach Dino Ebel, who pitched to Schwarber during the tiebreaker swing-off in last year’s All-Star Game.

A Duran save will require a slim National League lead late, as well as for NL manager Dave Roberts to have used the league’s other top closer, Mason Miller of the Padres, at an earlier point in the game. Still, Roberts may appreciate the theatricality of the Phillies’ closer making his signature entrance at his home ballpark in the All-Star Game. If it’s the top of the ninth and the NL has the lead, look to the bullpen and wait to see if the lights go out.  

After picking five times on Day 1, the Phillies made 16 more selections on Day 2 of Major League Baseball’s 2026 amateur draft. Here is everything you need to know about all of them.

• Round 5 — No. 161: Will Gasparino, OF, UCLA

The No. 72 draft prospect in MLB Pipeline‘s ranking, Gasparino paced the Bruins with 64 RBIs in 2026 and was second on the team in homers with 20. The 6-foot-6 All-Big Ten First Team selection will bring a strong arm to the Phillies’ minor-league center-field depth.

• Round 6 — No. 190: Macon Winslow, C, University of North Carolina

Some much-needed catching depth has arrived. Winslow, 21, is a career .273 hitter with 23 home runs and 122 RBIs at Duke and UNC. He had an .883 OPS in 68 games for the Tar Heels in 2026.

• Round 7 — No. 219: Bo Rhudy, RHP, University of Tennessee

Rhudy is the fourth right-handed pitcher taken by Philadelphia in the draft’s first seven rounds. He posted a 3.38 ERA with three saves for the Volunteers last season. He has a knack for throwing strikes, and his fastball reaches 96 mph with an impressive spin rate.

• Round 8 — No. 249: Wyatt Danilowicz, LHP, University of Louisville

Danilowicz is the fifth pitcher snagged by the Phillies this weekend and the first lefty. He compiled a 2.70 ERA in 33 1/3 innings out of the Cardinals’ bullpen in 2025, and posted a 4-3 record with a 6.00 ERA in 14 starts in 2026.

• Round 9 — No. 279: Cooper Consiglio, LHP, North Carolina State University

The Phillies go back-to-back with left-handed pitching. Consiglio, 20, struck out 71 batters in 60 innings for the Wolfpack in 2026.

• Round 10 — No. 309: Reece Moroney, SS, University of Rhode Island

The second shortstop selected by Philadelphia this weekend, Moroney batted .370 with a .920 OPS and 50 RBIs for Rhode Island last season. While not known as a power hitter in college, his exit velocity peaks at 112 mph, and he’s an above-average baserunner as well.

• Round 11 — No. 339: Drew Titsworth, RHP, Clemson University

Another college reliever, Titsworth struck out 43 batters in 35 1/3 innings with a 5.09 ERA in 2026.

• Round 12 — No. 369: Christian Coppola, RHP, Saint Joseph’s University

Philadelphia looks within the city for their sixth right-hander of the draft. Coppola dominated out of the Hawks’ pen this past season with a 1.69 ERA in 37 1/3 innings.

• Round 13 — No. 399: Brayden Bakes, OF, Illinois State University

The third mid-major bat taken by the Phillies this weekend, Bakes hit .393 with a 1.191 OPS in 238 at-bats in 2026 for the Redbirds.

• Round 14 — No. 429: Patrick Clemmey, LHP, Avon Old Farms School (CT)

A University of Georgia commit, 19-year-old Clemmey went the post-graduate route at Avon following a 0.37-ERA senior season at Bishop Hendricken High School (RI). He’s the younger brother of 2023 second-round pick and Nationals’ minor-league left-hander Alex Clemmey.

• Round 15 — No. 459: Owen Clyne, SS, George Mason University

Clyne batted .335 with a .985 OPS in 218 at-bats for George Mason in 2026, alongside nine home runs and 56 RBIs.

• Round 16 — No. 489: Matt Quintanar, C, Texas Tech University

The Phillies pick up another catcher late. Quintanar batted .323 for the Red Raiders in 2026, and was stellar defensively with a .990 fielding percentage and threw out a Power Four-leading 22 of 49 attempted stealers.

• Round 17 — No. 519: Adam Troy, RHP, University of Southern California

Troy struck out 39 batters and posted a 4.28 ERA across 31 relief outings for the Trojans in 2026.

• Round 18 — No. 549: Lane Haworth, OF, UTSA

Haworth has played all three outfield positions for the Roadrunners, and hit .315 with a .927 OPS in 216 at-bats last season.

• Round 19 — No. 579: Braeden Lipoff, C, Gloucester Catholic HS (NJ)

Going the prep route once again, the Phillies nab a career .413 high school hitter in Lipoff. He’s been committed to East Carolina University since September 2024.

• Round 20 — No. 609: Justin Lee, RHP, UCLA

Philadelphia finishes their draft by selecting their eighth right-handed pitcher of the weekend. Lee compiled 26 strikeouts with a 3.26 ERA in 19 1/3 innings for the Bruins in 2026.

The Phillies conclude the 2026 MLB amateur draft with eight right-handed pitchers, four outfielders, three left-handed pitchers, three infielders and three catchers.

It has not been a great first half offensively for J.T. Realmuto. The veteran catcher entered Sunday batting .200 with a .618 OPS. Realmuto has had an OPS of at least .700 in every season since 2016.

Realmuto is known to heat up later in the summer, as August is usually his month the same way June is Kyle Schwarber’s month. Realmuto ended the first half on a high note, with a bases-clearing double in the sixth inning that proved to be pivotal in a 5-0 Phillies win over the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park.

With Tigers star pitcher Tarik Skubal out of the game, Realmuto lined a two-out double to left field against Keider Montero. Bryson Stott added another run, the fifth of the game for the Phillies, on an infield single.

The Phillies end the first half with a 54-43 record. It’s fitting that the final win of a crazy first half for the Phillies came with Zack Wheeler on the mound. The Phillies are now 13-2 in Wheeler’s starts.

Wheeler kept the Tigers off the board through six innings. He labored in the end, but was able to strand a pair of runners that reached on walks with a strikeout of Riley Greene. It was his 10th of the day. He has struck out double-digit batters in three consecutive starts. It was his 26th double-digit strikeout game of his career.

José Alvarado, Orion Kerkering and Jonathan Bowlan combined to throw three scoreless inning to finish off the Phillies’ 12th shutout of the year, the most in MLB.

Some Phillies will now get to go home for a couple days for the All-Star break. Schwarber, Bryce Harper, Brandon Marsh, Cristopher Sánchez, Jhoan Duran, Jesús Luzardo, Don Mattingly and a few Phillies staff members will head back to Philadelphia for the All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park on Tuesday, July 14. Schwarber and Harper will compete in the Home Run Derby on Monday, July 13.

The Phillies are back in action on Thursday, July 16 at Citizens Bank Park against the New York Mets.

PHILADELPHIA — The first pitch Phillies top pitching prospect Gage Wood fired from the Citizens Bank Park pitcher’s mound Sunday was a 96.6 mph four-seam fastball. Athletics prospect Leo De Vries, one of baseball’s top prospects, swung through the pitch. Wood, the Phillies’ first-round pick from a season ago, fired three more pitches to De Vries before he reached base on a bloop single to left field.

Wood started the All-Star Futures Game for the National League at the place he could one day call his home ballpark. He pitched one inning and allowed one run.

“First off, when I went up those steps and I got out there on that grass,” Wood said, “I looked up and I was like, ‘Wow, this looks way bigger than from the suite when we were here when we signed last year.’ That was awesome.”

De Vries went on to steal second and third base before scoring on a 6-3 putout.

Wood’s command was a bit shaky at first. He yanked a pair of non-fastballs to his glove side with De Vries on base to make his steal attempts no contests. The adrenaline was there.

“It was awesome,” Wood said. “The fans showed up. It was loud. It was fun. I know before that first pitch my heart was pumping.”

Wood was also using a baseball that he hadn’t used much this season. The balls used in the lower levels of the minor leagues and the majors is different. It was good practice.

“With the big-league ball, I feel like it almost pops out a little quick sometimes,” Wood said. “So when I do try to force it to get it down, get the right action (and) spin, sometimes that can get you a little bit, too.”

Wood topped out at 97.7 mph with his fastball, his best offering, and sat 95 to 96 mph. After inducing the 6-3 ground out, Wood got a pop out into shallow left field by the foul line and another ground out — unassisted by the first baseman — to finish the opening inning. He threw 11 pitches. Nine were strikes.

Wood received a pair of large ovations from the Phillies fans in attendance. First when he was introduced while warming up in the bullpen. Second when he was introduced warming up on the mound before the start of the game. How’d it feel?

“Chills, man,” Wood said. “Chills.”

The 22-year-old right-hander has become a much more notable prospect with Andrew Painter and Justin Crawford graduating from the minor leagues this season and Aidan Miller having been sidelined all year with a back issue. He’s made 16 starts between two minor-league levels — Low-A and Double-A — and has a 3.44 ERA. Wood has 79 strikeouts to 21 walks in 55 innings. Opponents have combined to hit .207 with a .670 OPS against him.

Wood’s brief stint on a major-league mound wasn’t enough to have him thinking about what it’d be like to pitch for the Phillies. Whether that be later this season, or any time after that.

“I don’t look that far ahead,” Wood said. “I just kind of stay where I’m at. Main goal was to go out there today, enjoy this experience with these awesome players.”

The Phillies are monitoring Wood’s workload. It’s unclear what they’re eyeing for his innings total this year. But his 55 innings this season are already more than he threw in the regular season last year at the University of Arkansas.

“You got to look at workloads and what happened in the past and everything,” Wood said. “And I fully respect their decisions with me.”

Wood shows promise. But there’s still a lot of work to be done. He’s still developing his secondary stuff. The last 12 months have been huge for him. Only time will tell just how good he can be.

“I feel like I grew up more as a pitcher this year than I have in a whole, you know, career growing up,” Wood said. “(I’m) really developing the slider. Getting the curveball back going and developing a new split. Strike percentage, everything’s gone up. Stuff’s gotten better. I mean, just all around, I feel like I’ve become a better pitcher.”

PHILADELPHIA — On the left side of Wen-Hui Pan‘s neck, the right-hander pitcher has a tattoo that reads “PERSEVERE” in vertical English letters. The native of Taiwan got it last year, after he underwent Tommy John surgery, one of three different surgeries he’d had in his young career.

The ink stays there as a message for Pan to keep going, even after going through injury-related adversity.

“That tattoo really helps me to keep reminding me what my goal is,” Pan said through an interpreter, “and helping me come through all these difficult processes.”

After missing all of last minor-league season, Pan has returned to the mound in 2026. The Phillies prospect earned a spot on the National League roster for Major League Baseball’s All-Star Futures Game, which took place on Sunday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park.

Pain, a reliever, has a 2.81 ERA with four saves in 23 minor-league appearances this season. He first pitched for Single-A Clearwater on April 22 and had a 3.38 ERA in eight games with the Threshers. Pan allowed just one run in nine outings for High-A Jersey Shore before he was moved up to Double-A Reading on June 13.

He hasn’t found quite as much success with the Fightins, allowing four runs in six appearances so far. But Pan said he’s felt better physically as the year has progressed.

“Coming back from the rehab, still facing some difficulties earlier this season,” Pan said. “But I’ve been gradually feeling better and I’m feeling more confident right now coming back to the game.”

While Pan had been to the city of Philadelphia before, he had never been to Citizens Bank Park prior to the Futures Game. He said ahead of the game that he was “very happy” and “very excited” for the chance to pitch in the big-league stadium.

Pan was not that sharp against the American League on Saturday. He entered with two outs in the sixth inning and allowed two runs on a home run by Rays catching prospect Nathan Flewelling. The NL lost 6-1 in the seven-inning contest.

As a 23-year-old at Double-A, Pan believes he could potentially make a push to the majors as soon as this season in the “best-case scenario.” If not, he’s hopeful he could break in by next year. But in the meantime, Pain was glad to be at the Futures Game alongside top prospects after persevering through his injury and rehab, hopeful to gain some insight from other participants.

“I’m looking forward to learning different things from other pitchers and how they perform their pitching,” Pan said.

PHILADELPHIA — Cristopher Sánchez will start for the National League in the All-Star Game on Tuesday in Philadelphia, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post.

The Phillies left-hander is the first pitcher to start the All-Star Game in his home ballpark since Clayton Kershaw got the nod for the National League at Dodger Stadium in 2022. The only other Phillie to start the All-Star Game in Philadelphia was Curt Simmons at the 1952 All-Star Game at Shibe Park.

Sánchez enters the break with an 11-4 record and a 2.62 ERA through 20 starts. Two other candidates to start for the NL are not pitching in the game. The Brewers’ Jacob Misiorowski and the Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani are both out for the game. Misiorowski is dealing with arm fatigue while Ohtani, a two-way superstar, won’t appear in the game at all due to left knee irritation.

With those two pitchers out, Sánchez was the most logical choice.

Jesús Luzardo and Jhoan Duran are also on the NL All-Star pitching staff. Brandon Marsh, Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper are representing the Phillies on the position player side. Marsh and Schwarber are expected to be in the starting lineup. Marsh was elected as an All-Star starter by the fans, while Schwarber will likely be in the starting lineup as the DH with Ohtani out.

Sánchez will address the media alongside NL manager Dave Roberts on Monday afternoon in a press conference at Citizens Bank Park.

Dylan Cease will start the All-Star Game for the American League, the Toronto Blue Jays announced on Sunday afternoon.

Despite missing his entire senior season of high school with a back issue, shortstop Tyler Spangler provided Philadelphia with enough to make him their first selection in the 2026 Major League Baseball amateur draft. The Phillies are “super excited” about the 18-year-old they took with the No. 36 pick on Saturday afternoon after being impressed with what they saw before his injury and at two recent workouts leading up to the draft.

“Any type of time a player has an injury, there’s always pause,” Phillies assistant general manager Brian Barber, the head of the team’s amateur scouting, told reporters on Saturday night, “and there’s a lot of things that go into that. But we have an extensive medical review on the player and just felt comfortable taking him. We’ve looked at everything that there is to look at there and felt completely comfortable taking the player.”

Spangler, a 6-foot-3, 195-pound left-handed hitter from California, did not compete for De La Salle High School in 2026 due to a back injury. When asked about the nature of the back injury, Barber said he was “not going to get into that.” Barber was also asked about a hazing incident at Spangler’s high school for which the De La Salle baseball team was suspended for five games while Spangler was sidelined and if there were any concerns about his makeup; he said that Spangler was not involved.

“There’s been work that’s been done,” Barber said of the team’s interviewing and research into the situation. “The high school gets in trouble for a hazing incident, but there was nothing to do with Tyler on that.”

While the Phillies currently have a top prospect in infielder Aidan Miller who hasn’t played yet this minor-league season due to a back issue, they were OK with taking Spangler because they believed in him as a player; if not for his injury, he perhaps could have been taken higher. But of course, no young player — or player of any age — wants to be dealing with back problems.

The Phillies saw Spangler play throughout last year and watched him at a tournament in January before he got hurt. He began swinging again in time for last month’s MLB draft combine and might have been a bit rusty, but the Phillies were there for another workout he participated in a week later and liked what they saw. Spangler has “an advanced” swing for his age with potential to add more pop to his game.

Barber said the team expects Spangler to stick at shortstop despite his bigger frame. The executive does not always like making player comparisons, but he said Spangler could fit a Corey Seager mold in terms of size and athleticism.

“Super excited about this one,” Barber said. “The opportunity to be at pick (No.) 36 and get this player that we have identified going back two years — saw him play as a high school junior, saw him play all throughout the summer and fall last year and then obviously this this past year got cut short — we just think he’s a very good player. It’s a hit-first (plate approach) right now that still needs to grow into the power, but obviously with his size and strength, we see that being potentially good as well.”

The Phillies believe they’re “in a really good spot” to be able to sign Spangler, who is committed to play college baseball at Stanford. They are also hopeful he’d be able to appear in games at some point this season. Spangler was cleared to return to action, Barber said, but the Phillies will want to have their own medical and training staff evaluate him. If they’re able to get him on board, they’ll want to be careful since they have faith in his abilities as a hitter, runner and shortstop.

“It’s kind of a total package for us,” Barber said, “and just a guy we’re super excited to be able to bring in.”

Phillies Day 1 draft picks

• No. 36: Tyler Spangler, SS, De La Salle High School
• No. 64: Caden Bogenpohl, OF, Missouri State
• No. 100: Ruger Riojas, RHP, Texas
• No. 128: Deven Sheerin, RHP, Louisiana State
• No. 135: Jaxon Jelkin, RHP, Kentucky

Cristopher Sánchez finished his first half on a high note against the Tigers on Saturday night in Detroit, bouncing back from a career-worst start. After giving up 10 earned runs against the Royals last Monday, Sánchez finished seven innings Saturday in a 4-2 Phillies win.

Sánchez did not have his best stuff. He worked around 10 hits, nine of which were singles, and was charged with two runs. But, like aces do, he found a way to prevent too many runs from scoring.

The only extra-base hit Sánchez allowed was on a solo home run by Tigers catcher Eduardo Valencia in the bottom of the fifth inning. The left-hander struck out seven hitters and walked one. He was also helped by his defense.

Derek Hill made a diving catch in the left-center field gap in the bottom of the third inning to rob Zach McKinstry of extra bases. The catch also saved a run. Ben Malgeri singled in the previous at-bat and likely would’ve scored with ease on the play had Hill not made the catch.

Sánchez would work around back-to-back singles that started the bottom of the seventh. He struck Malgeri out on four pitches before inducing an inning-ending double play off the bat of McKinstry one batter later to get out of the jam. At 97 pitches, Sánchez appeared to be done. But he started the eighth and quickly exited.

The Phillies ace walked Matt Vierling to begin the bottom of the eighth. A single by Kevin McGonigle brought manager Don Mattingly out of the dugout to make a pitching change with two runners on and nobody out. Without his best command, Jonathan Bowlan worked around a hit batter and a walk to allow just one run in the inning, keeping the Phillies ahead by two runs.

Sánchez finishes the first half with strong numbers — a 2.62 ERA across 127 1/3 innings with 144 strikeouts and 25 walks in 20 starts with an 11-4 record. For reference, at the break a season ago before eventually finishing second in NL Cy Young Award voting, he posted a 2.50 ERA across 115 innings with 122 strikeouts and 32 walks in 19 starts with an 8-2 record.

Hill did not just help Sánchez in the field. He also helped on offense. He stole three bases and had a RBI single that was part of a three-run top of the fourth for the Phillies. After reaching first base on an error in the third, Hill stole second and third base and then scored on a sacrifice fly by Trea Turner to center field. J.T. Realmuto, who knocked in a pair with a double, scored on Hill’s fourth-inning single to make it 4-0. Hill is now batting .354 with a .963 OPS with the Phillies in 22 games.

Jhoan Duran pitched the bottom of the ninth and secured his 24th save of the season. The Phillies are now 53-43.

Day 1 of Major League Baseball’s 2026 amateur draft has wrapped up, and the Phillies walked away with an infielder, an outfielder and a trio of college right-handed pitchers.

Philadelphia selected shortstop Tyler Spangler out of De La Salle High School with the 36th pick in the first round, outfielder Caden Bogenpohl out of Missouri State University with the 64th pick in the second round, right-handed pitcher Ruger Riojas out of the University of Texas at Austin with the 100th pick in the third round and right-handed pitchers Deven Sheerin out of Louisiana State University and Jaxon Jelkin out of the University of Kentucky with the 128th and 135th picks in the fourth round, respectively.

Spangler batted .376 with 16 home runs and 73 RBI across three high school seasons, but missed his entire senior year due to a back injury.

Bogenpohl batted .247 in 208 at-bats for Missouri State in 2026. As a freshman in 2024, he hit 20 home runs, breaking the program record for most home runs hit by a freshman set by none other than Ryan Howard in 1999. The 6-foot-6 left-handed batter and right-handed thrower has played in all three outfield spots for the Bears.

Riojas made 17 starts for Texas in 2026, posting a 6-2 record and 3.97 ERA through 81.2 innings. He spent his freshman and sophomore seasons at the University of Texas at San Antonio before transferring to the Longhorns ahead of 2025.

Sheerin, a Reading native, went 3-2 with a 4.78 ERA in 37.2 innings out of the bullpen for LSU in 2026. He missed all of the Tigers’ 2025 College World Series-winning campaign with a knee injury, and previously pitched for Mount St. Mary’s University in 2024.

The Phillies selected Jelkin with the compensation pick they received for Ranger Suárez. The 6-foot-5 right-hander earned an 8-3 record in 17 appearances for Kentucky in 2026 and previously suited up for the University of Nebraska and University of Houston. This is Jelkin’s third time being drafted by an MLB franchise (he was taken in the 14th round by the Dodgers in 2023 and 9th round by the Mets in 2024), but now lands with the Phillies as the last player selected on Saturday.

The draft will resume Sunday for Rounds 5 through 20. The Phillies are slated to pick again at No. 161 overall.

With the penultimate pick in the first round of the Major League Baseball draft, the Phillies went the prep route to bolster their infield depth.

Philadelphia selected high school shortstop Tyler Spangler at No. 36 overall Saturday afternoon. Spangler, 18, is a 6-foot-3 left-handed batter and right-handed thrower out of Concord, California.

The No. 53 draft prospect in MLB Pipeline‘s ranking for 2026, Spangler batted .430 with 10 home runs and 40 RBI in his junior season for De La Salle High School. A back injury sidelined him for his entire senior season, but an impressive performance at the Draft Combine improved his draft stock. Spangler finished his high school career with a .376 average, along with 16 home runs and 73 RBI.

Spangler’s power will need to be improved, as he tends to only get lift on the ball on his pull side. But he’s disciplined at the plate and can battle with pitchers in long at-bats. He has good hands in the field and can glide across the dirt to make any play, and while not the fastest, he has good instincts as a baserunner.

Spangler is the second infielder taken in the first round by Brian Barber since he became the Phillies’ scouting director in 2019 (Aidan Miller in 2023), and is the sixth first-round high school selection under Barber, following Mick Abel in 2020, Andrew Painter in 2021, Justin Crawford in 2022, Miller and Dante Nori in 2024. The Phillies will make their next selection at No. 64 overall later Saturday night.

PHILADELPHIA — Commissioner Rob Manfred announced the name of Landon Thome on Saturday afternoon in front of a Philadelphia crowd during the initial compensatory round of Major League Baseball’s amateur draft held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.

The son of former slugger Jim Thome, who played for the Phillies and White Sox during his Hall of Fame career, Landon Thome was taken by the Chicago White Sox with the 34th overall pick in the 2026 draft. The high school infielder attended Nazareth Academy in Illinois.

Jim Thome signed with the Phillies in a blockbuster free-agent deal before the 2003 season after 12 years in Cleveland. He led the major leagues with 47 home runs in his first season in Philadelphia and hit 42 the next year, but Thome was limited to 59 games in 2005. With Ryan Howard emerging as the National League Rookie of the Year and the first baseman of the future, the Phillies traded Thome to the White Sox before the 2006 season.

The elder Thome hit 134 home runs in parts of four seasons in Chicago. He was traded to the Dodgers for the end of the 2009 season, spent parts of the next two with the Twins before a stop back in Cleveland, returned to the Phillies in 2012 and was traded to the Orioles to finish out his career. In 22 seasons, Thome hit 612 home runs with a .956 OPS.

Now, Landon Thome will have a chance to begin his professional career with one of the organizations he father played for. The White Sox also had the No. 1 overall pick and selected shortstop Roch Cholowsky.