Trouble Could Be Brewing With Phillies After Weird Gabe Kapler-Cesar Hernandez Situation

The managers of the NL East just aren't on the same page with their players. First, it was Brian Snitker and Ronald Acuña Jr. of the Atlanta Braves who were feuding, and now Philadelphia Phillies manager Gape Kapler and Cesar Hernandez seem to be at odds. We won't event get into Mickey Callaway and the Mets.

The Phillies' skipper wasn't a fan of Hernandez's lack of hustle when he watched a ball fly only for it to stay in the park for a single on Sunday, and Kapler told the media that that was his primary reason for benching Hernandez for Monday's game.

Hernandez, however, said that Kapler told him the decision to hold him out of the lineup had nothing to do with Sunday.

It's troublesome that Kapler decided his best course of action was to tell his player one thing and the media another.

It's an especially bad miscalculation considering where the Phillies are in the standings. They're 1.5 games back of the Cubs for the second NL Wild Card spot. There's a good chance that they can still make the playoffs, but this type of stuff can't be happening if they want to make it a reality.

Kapler needs to be honest with his players. He can't be lying to them in the thick of the playoff race, or risking any time of small miscommunication.

That's a recipe for disaster. This is a time for them to come together and play as a team. Kapler needs to be the unifying presence in that clubhouse. His players need to rally around him.