Alec Bohm

For three months this offseason, Alec Bohm had no idea where he'd be on Opening Day. Good thing he stayed put.

Perhaps it's only fitting that Bohm, who was at the epicenter of constant offseason trade rumors, put Philadelphia ahead for good during Thursday's extra-inning marathon by scalding a 109.3 mph double into the left-center field gap. The 28-year-old third baseman is coming off a top-10 finish last year at the position for fantasy purposes and seems like a virtual lock to finish in the 15-20 homer range with nearly 100 RBI given his spot in the heart of the Phillies' strong lineup.

This is noteworthy because the Nationals are starting left-hander MacKenzie Gore. It was assumed that Kepler might sit against lefties, but that doesn't appear to be the case, at least while Weston Wilson is on the IL. Given his strong home ballpark and good lineup around him, Kepler as an everyday player could provide sneaky fantasy value. The Phillies' full lineup is: Trea Turner SS, Bryce Harper 1B, Alec Bohm 3B, Kyle Schwarber DH, J.T. Realmuto C, Max Kepler LF, Nick Castellanos RF, Bryson Stott 2B, and Brandon Marsh CF.

The Phillies opened the spring leaning toward using Schwarber as a cleanup man, but they've been going back more to their 2024 arrangement lately, with Schwarber leading off in front of Trea Turner, Bryce Harper and Alec Bohm. We'd say that's the right call; Schwarber finished fifth in the NL in plate appearances, third in runs scored and fifth in RBI while hitting leadoff last year. Why fix what's obviously not broken?

Bohm was back in Philadelphia's lineup for the first time since last Saturday due to a foot contusion. The 28-year-old third baseman should be ready to roll for next week's season opener.