The Phillies lineup move that showed Ken Rosenthal everything he needed to see amid 9-game skid

With an 8-7 defeat to the Chicago Cubs on Thursday, the Philadelphia Phillies have now lost their ninth straight game. For Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, and many around the MLB world, the problem has been evident.

Rosenthal believes Philadelphia’s issues come from the top. They have started rookie Felix Reyes at clean up their past two games. The insider thinks you don’t have to look much further than that to see what’s really going wrong with the Phillies, via Foul Territory.

“Beyond [Trea] Turner, [Bryce] Harper and [Kyle] Schwarber, look at their offense and what is this?” Rosenthal asked. “They changed their lineup, put Schwarber in the leadoff spot. But more importantly, Felix Reyes, in his second major league game, batted cleanup for the Philadelphia Phillies. That tells you everything you need to know.”

The Phillies batting Felix Reyes, who was playing in his second MLB game last night, in the cleanup spot tells you "everything you need to know," says @Ken_Rosenthal.

"The issues really stem from the front office." pic.twitter.com/YuA9EC7bWk

— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) April 23, 2026

The Phillies have talent across their lineup, but Rosenthal notes it is a very similar team to what was put out in 2025. Philadelphia needs production outside of their three stars. So far, the franchise has just been unable to provide it.

Reyes has now played three games at the major league level. He is hitting .273 with a home run and RBI.

The outfielder/corner infielder isn’t necessarily the problem himself. Still just 25-years-old, he still offers potential. But he isn’t inside Philadelphia’s top 30 prospects, according to MLB Pipeline. Overall, Rosenthal is upset that the Phillies have an unproven option at cleanup hitter rather than a bonafide run producer.

If Philadelphia going to get back into the playoff hunt, they may need to make a number of moves. Finding a consistent clean up hitter will be one of them. But Rosenthal will remain weary as long as the Phillies’ front office continues operating as it has.

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