Phillies Facing Unthinkable Brandon Marsh Reality

Remember how good Brandon Marsh was earlier this season? It seems like a distant memory now, but there was a stretch where Marsh was arguably the Philadelphia Phillies' best player.

Marsh was awarded with his first career All-Star selection as a result, and extension speculation ramped up with the outfielder just over a year away from hitting free agency.

But things have changed.

Yes, Marsh had a torrid start to the 2026 campaign, having posted an .809 OPS between March and April, an .833 OPS in May and a .948 OPS in June.

Since then, the 28-year-old has fallen off a cliff, and the dropoff hasn't ceased.

Marsh registered a .422 OPS in July. He followed that up with a .634 OPS in August. And thus far in September, he is slashing .158/.158/.211.

What has happened to Brandon Marsh?

On the year overall, Marsh now owns a .729 OPS, which is actually below his a career median of .745 and his worst mark with the Phillies. And it has now gotten to a point where both Bryan De La Cruz and Derek Hill represent better options for Philadelphia.

Marsh fouled a ball off his foot in the Phillies' loss to the Houston Astros on Thursday, which will probably keep him out of the lineup for the first matchup of Philadelphia's three-game set against the Atlanta Braves starting Friday evening.

But while a Marsh absence would have been devastating for the Phillies back in the spring, it now really isn't a huge deal.

In fact, it makes Don Mattingly's job easier.

Mattingly has been trying to force Marsh into the lineup even though he hasn't hit in three months. De La Cruz (.339/.381/.500) and Hill (.271/.304/.486) have both been superior. Yes, the sample sizes are obviously more limited, but you can't argue with results.

At this point, Mattingly might have to seriously consider benching Marsh, because it's not like he's providing any sort of value for Philadelphia.

Even Marsh's defense has tapered off, as the once fine outfielder has posted minus-2 outs above average this season.

Marsh's overall WAR on the year is just 0.6, his worst number since his rookie campaign with the Los Angeles Angels in 2021.

So should Marsh even be starting at this point?

Somehow, some way, the Phillies are a better ballclub with one of De La Cruz or Hill over Marsh, and that's quite the bucket of ice water considering just how fantastic Marsh was in the early stages of 2026.