Edmundo Sosa and Johan Rojas are making Phillies lineup decisions trickier

The hottest bat in the major leagues is on the Phillies’ bench.

Entering Thursday, Edmundo Sosa’s .600 batting average led not only his team, but all qualified hitters. Sosa got consistent playing time to start the season while Trea Turner was sidelined with lower back spasms, and the utility infielder made it count.

But with Turner now back to full health, keeping Sosa in the lineup gets trickier, especially against right-handed starters.

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“I’m going to call MLB and see if we can play 10,” manager Rob Thomson said jokingly.

Consider that petition denied. Sosa was on the bench Thursday in a 3-1 win over the Rockies. With righty Antonio Senzatela starting on the mound for Colorado, Bryson Stott was back in the lineup and went 2-for-3.

Thomson had a conversation with Sosa ahead of Thursday’s game and explained that holding him out of the lineup had nothing to do with his performance.

“It’s early in the year, and we’ve had all these off days,” Thomson said. “I’m trying to get guys into rhythm and tempo. And if this was the middle of the season, when guys need a day off, I think it’s a lot easier [to keep Sosa in], for sure.”

And it isn’t just Sosa who is making lineup decisions difficult. Johan Rojas also sat a day after what Thomson called “the best major league game he’s played” on Wednesday.

Rojas drew a walk, stole a base, and, most important to the Phillies, laid down a pair of bunts, one sacrifice and another for a base hit. The organization has been working with Rojas on improving those skills for the past few years, but he had just five bunt hits across the last two seasons.

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Now, he’s starting to feel more confident when he squares up.

“[I feel] a lot better,” Rojas said. “I’m working it on every day, every single day. I’m bunting inside, outside. I feel really, really, really, great.”

Rojas parlayed a strong winter ball performance in the Dominican Republic into a strong spring, when he hit .292 with nine RBIs in 17 games. In the regular season, Rojas is 4-for-6.

Developing the ability to reliably put down a bunt would allow Rojas to capitalize on his speed and help the Phillies manufacture runs in the bottom of the lineup.

“I hate [to] lose,” Rojas said. “I just put the bunt down to get my other guy in the best position to hit to win the game. That’s all.”

Sosa knows that on some other teams, he might be more than just a reserve player. But he likes to consider himself playing a role akin to the “sixth man” in the NBA.

“I’m with the Phillies; great city, great teammates, the best baseball team that there is,” Sosa said earlier this week through a team interpreter. “And it’s just that, going out with that mentality. Everybody knows that they have to do their job.”

Sosa also has been a helpful resource for Rojas in learning how to approach an irregular spot in the lineup.

“I always talk to him, and I always ask him how he prepares every day,“ Rojas said. “I always ask him what he thinks, how he prepares before every single game. I always ask him a lot of these questions. And I learned from him a lot.”

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Andrew Painter is scheduled to throw live batting practice on Friday. After that, the Phillies will determine the next steps, which could include another live batting practice session or an assignment. … Jesús Luzardo (1-0, 3.60 ERA) is scheduled to start Friday’s series opener against Dodgers right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto (1-0, 2.70).