The Phillies are expected to remove Don Mattingly’s “interim” label and keep him as their full-time manager, Matt Gelb and Charlotte Varnes of The Athletic report. The move is expected to be finalized later this week.
Mattingly relieved Rob Thomson towards the end of April. Philadelphia was 10 games under .500 when the club parted ways with Thomson. Mattingly led the team to a Wild Card berth. The Phillies went 79-55 after he took over.
There were rumors last week that Mattingly might stay on as manager after the Phillies were turned down again by Alex Cora. He had been their first choice to replace Thomson after he was fired by the Red Sox in April. Cora said no at the time and maintained that he did not want the position once pursued after the end of the season.
Mattingly was going to be with the Phillies in one way or another for 2027. He signed a two-year contract to be the bench coach before this season. Gelb and colleague Jayson Stark previously reported that Mattingly could move to a front-office advisory role if he doesn’t get the manager’s job. He would work closely with his son, Preston, who has been the Phillies’ general manager since 2024.
Giving Mattingly the full-time job seemed like a layup heading into the final week of the regular season. The Phillies weren’t going to catch the Braves in the NL East, but they were headed toward a Wild Card spot. It was simply a matter of how the standings would play out with the Cubs and Padres. Then things got interesting. With the clinch in range, Philly has lost four straight games. A Diamondbacks hot streak forced the Phillies into a must-win situation in the final game of the season. They managed to beat the Rays and win the final Wild Card bid.
While the Phillies avoided a major collapse, their rotation was affected in the postseason. Zack Wheeler was forced to start match 162, which meant he was unavailable in the first match of the Wild Card round. Wheeler did not start any of the three games against the Braves. He came in relief in the third game when Philly was already losing 3-0.
The early exit from the playoffs ultimately didn’t cost Mattingly a shot at the head job. With roster changes likely, some stability at the top makes sense. Mattingly has a dozen seasons of management experience on his resume. He was in charge of the Dodgers from 2011 to 2015. Mattingly spent seven seasons in charge of the Marlins, a tenure that included NL Manager of the Year honors in 2020.
Photo courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Images
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