Edmundo Sosa, Phillies’ home opener hero, rewards Rob Thomson’s trust

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PHILADELPHIA — Edmundo Sosa had a decent gash on his left knee Sunday afternoon, the result of an opponent spiking him at second base, and the wound still oozed after the game. His pants were ripped. He shrugged. It couldn’t bother him too much because he knew he needed to be in the lineup Monday for the home opener at Citizens Bank Park. The starting shortstop — for one more day, at least.

Sosa, 29, has never started more than 78 games in a big-league season, but he is universally respected inside the Phillies clubhouse. The Phillies are paying him another $3 million this season to be a reserve. It’s possible they receive more trade calls about Sosa than anyone else, team officials have said. He probably would be an everyday player on other clubs.

“There’s no ‘probably’ in that sentence,” Nick Castellanos said.

He would be an everyday player on other clubs. It must be difficult to keep a positive attitude — to be known as someone who provides instant energy — when he is not playing as much as he could.

“The game will repay him in time,” Castellanos said, “for what he’s given to the greater good.”

Manager Rob Thomson repaid Sosa in the seventh inning of Monday’s 6-1 win over the Colorado Rockies. The Phillies, comatose to that point, had a two-out rally. After Bryson Stott doubled, Thomson summoned Trea Turner, who had a stiff back but was cleared just before first pitch to play if needed. Turner drew a walk as a pinch hitter for Brandon Marsh against a lefty. Colorado manager Bud Black inserted a righty reliever, Victor Vodnik, and the situation called for Thomson to pinch hit again. He had Kody Clemens, a lefty hitter, available.

Sosa was Thomson’s guy. He was in the game. And Vodnik didn’t have extreme splits. “Sosa’s been swinging the bat well,” Thomson said, “so I decided to stay with him.” Hitting coach Kevin Long went to the top step to debrief Sosa with some video and a scouting report.

“The manager’s trusted me with putting me in the lineup,” Sosa said through a team interpreter. “… It never crossed my mind because I was ready for that at-bat, and he’s been trusting me with it.”

Sosa took a 99-mph fastball on the corner for a strike. He stayed back on a hanging slider and drove it to the opposite field. Two runs scored. Sosa scurried to second base and rushed his trademark “Superman” celebration by rubbing the Phillies crest across his chest. He shouted. He flexed.

The Phillies had the lead.

“I always assume that I’m going to have playing time, and that’s what keeps me in a good spot to produce whenever I’m on the field,” Sosa said. “I take myself seriously every day. And I assume that I’m going to have some game time. That’s been something that’s worked to have that rhythm whenever I do play.”

Edmundo Sosa celebrates after his go-ahead double. (Hunter Martin / Getty Images)

Sosa has six hits (three doubles) in his first 11 at-bats this season. After the double, his teammates were energized. Kyle Schwarber blasted a two-run homer that scored Sosa. Max Kepler and Castellanos smashed back-to-back homers in the eighth to ice the game.

But, until Sosa’s swing, a packed house didn’t have much to celebrate other than the unseasonable warmth in South Philly. The fans were waiting to burst. There was Sosa, the hero of the home opener.

“Right man, right spot,” Castellanos said.

“He’s such a great player,” Schwarber said. “Such a great person. He goes about it the right way. He’s a one-of-a-kind special talent.”

Kyle Schwarber gives a thumbs up after homering in the seventh inning. (Eric Hartline / Imagn Images)

Maybe that is hyperbole, but these Phillies have a decent idea of what they have and what they do not. “We always preach that it’s not going to be one person, two people, three people,” Schwarber said. “It takes a village to go where we need to go.”

The Phillies reopened this building with 44,595 people inside, trying to conjure the good feelings. There are corners of the fan base who entered apathetic about the whole thing. Wake them in October, they will say, and that’s a valid criticism.

But there is a six-month journey before that. The Phillies will sell millions of tickets again in 2025, are carrying one of the largest payrolls in the sport, and have jazzed up this ballpark that is now more than two decades old. This means more advertisements — digital ribbon boards everywhere and sponsored light shows for home runs.

The players have asked for modern amenities. So the Phillies installed new lighting in the clubhouse and the hallway leading to the dugout, partnering with a biocentric lighting company that boasts it can “regulate circadian rhythms, boost energy levels, and accelerate recovery.” The bullpen benches are now enclosed so they can be heated or cooled. There is even a dugout refrigerator.

Phillies might be the first team to ever have a fridge in their dugout. Over/under 28.5 home games before someone smashes it. pic.twitter.com/LJGgd0XAbJ

— Matt Gelb (@MattGelb) March 31, 2025

The people will probably matter more than these widgets. The Phillies were willing to retain most of this roster because they believe in the bonds these people have formed. They probably could have traded Sosa for something in the past two years; a Phillies official said minutes after the club acquired him from the St. Louis Cardinals in July 2022, another team called to see if the Phillies would flip him. They had a shortstop — Didi Gregorius, then Bryson Stott. They later signed another shortstop, Turner, to a $300 million deal. They kept Sosa.

Maybe he’s exposed with increased at-bats. So be it. He’s here for a reason.

“I didn’t have many opportunities with my previous organization,” Sosa said. “The Phillies just embraced me. They treated me like a superstar from the first day, and I think that’s played a lot into embracing these roles. Giving the best of myself here and working every day. It could be that maybe in other organizations I might have more playing time. But I’m here. I’m playing here. I’m focused here. And I’m working every day here.”

In the ninth, the last ball was hit to shortstop. Sosa was there. He made a routine play. He hugged his infield teammates and shook everyone else’s hands. Turner will be ready Wednesday, when the Phillies play next. Maybe Sosa will be back on the bench. Maybe not.

It was a good day.

(Top photo of Edmundo Sosa: Eric Hartline / Imagn Images)

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