Downloaded podcasts spontaneously disappear

So I download my subscribed podcasts in iTunes (v 12.8.2.3) , then sync to my iPhone (8, iOS 13.5), am playing them on said iPhone no problem, and then at random times the playback stops (not with any discernible frequency — i.e. same time of day, day of week, what have you), and the podcasts disappear, as if I'd never synced them to the phone to begin with. They're still there in my iTunes library, necessitating a re-sync with my phone, I just can't figure out for the life of me why they just suddenly jump ship. What's even weirder is that it's only certain podcasts that disappear, others I've subscribed to remain in place.

Hashtag Flummoxed.