Bohm Homers in Return From Injury as Phillies Send Kemp Back to Triple A

Alec Bohm wasted little time making his presence felt on Sunday. Reinstated from the injured list and placed back in the cleanup spot, the Phillies third baseman homered in his second at-bat in Washington, while Otto Kemp was sent back to triple A to open a roster spot.

Bohm had been out for nearly a month with a fractured left rib. He came back after a five-game rehabilitation stretch in triple A. In the first inning he swung at the first pitch and reached on a chopper that Nationals third baseman Brady House could not field. In the second, he drove a fastball from left-hander Mitchell Parker into the left-field bleachers.

"Especially not being here for a while, it feels really good to contribute and help the team win a game," Bohm said. "Just happy to be back, happy to be healthy."

Kemp and utility infielder Edmundo Sosa had split time at third base during Bohm's absence. Manager Rob Thomson said the young infielder simply needs regular playing time. "He just needs at-bats," Thomson said.

Kemp was called up June 7, a notable achievement for an undrafted player from Point Loma Nazarene University, a small Division II program near San Diego. He initially played every day at first base while Bryce Harper was on the injured list. His playing time shrank after Harper returned, and he then started in left field against left-handed pitchers before shifting to third base once Bohm was hurt.

He had not played left field since before the All-Star break, and Weston Wilson has emerged as part of a four-player platoon in left and center field. The Phillies opted to keep Wilson and send Kemp down. Over 46 games and 161 plate appearances, Kemp hit .228 with seven doubles, four homers and a .657 OPS.

"I loved the at-bats early, and then he was getting kind of sporadic at-bats and he's just scuffling a little bit," Thomson said. "He needs to get everyday at-bats, play third, play second, play left. As I told him, he's a big part of what we're doing this year and in the future."

The timing of the demotion allows Kemp to be recalled when major-league rosters expand to 28 players on Sept. 1. The Phillies are likely to add one pitcher and one position player then.

Elsewhere, Trea Turner reached base 13 times in 19 plate appearances during the four-game series against the Nationals, collecting 10 hits, a walk, and reaching once on an error and once on a hit by pitch. After three infield singles in Thursday's opener, he worked in the batting cage on staying more upright in his swing. He then had two hits Friday, three Saturday and two Sunday. "If I can keep my chest up, then my at-bats are much better," Turner said.

Aaron Nola also returned Sunday after three months on the injured list and started, taking the roster spot opened when Zack Wheeler was sidelined Saturday with a blood clot. To clear a 40-man roster spot for Nola, the Phillies released triple-A outfielder Cal Stevenson. Ranger Suárez (8-6, 3.28 ERA) is scheduled to start Monday night at home against Mariners right-hander Logan Gilbert (3-4, 3.31).