Bryce Harper reaches five times in win vs. D-backs

Harper’s two-run blast in the top of the first extended his on-base streak to a career-best 29 games. In the bottom half of the inning, he made a leaping catch in right field to rob Julio Rodríguez of extra bases. He’s up to 27 long balls this season, tying the mark he reached last year. The last time he hit more than 30 was back in 2021, when he finished with 35. Wednesday’s homer also marked the 390th of his career.

Harper’s home run was his 26th of the year. He hit a three-run shot off Cardinals reliever Ryan Fernandez in the sixth inning. Harper’s home run was his first since August 8 against the Blue Jays, a span of 11 games. He’s hitting .257 with an .870 OPS and 75 RBI this season.

Harper is back patrolling right field after being limited to DH in three of Philadelphia’s last four games as a result of knee soreness. It doesn’t appear to be a massive concern, but fantasy managers should continue to monitor his status over the final few weeks, especially since playing right field on a regular basis is going to result in more wear and tear than usual.

Harper is at DH for the second time in the last three games as a return to the outfield has resulted in worsening knee soreness. It doesn’t sound like it’ll keep him out of the lineup, but it’s a situation that fantasy managers should monitor closely. Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly told reporters the issue stems from Harper fouling a ball off his knee prior to last month’s All-Star break. These are the type of downstream impacts that come with a midseason positional change, especially for a veteran who is several years removed from patrolling the outfield on a regular basis.

Harper tied the game in the sixth inning, going back-to-back with Trea Turner for a solo homer off Max Scherzer. It was Harper’s third homer this month and 25th of the season to go with 72 runs scored, 71 RBI, and six steals while hitting .257/.365/.504 across 499 plate appearances.

Harper delivered an RBI single off of Jose Soriano in the third inning that tied the game at 2-2. He then delivered a run-scoring single during the Phillies’ uprising in the ninth that pulled them to within a run at 5-4. That would be as close as they would get though. The 33-year-old slugger is having a strong season at the dish, slashing .257/.366/.500 with 24 homers, 70 RBI and six stolen bases.

Harper drew a walk in the first inning and scored on an RBI double off the bat of Alec Bohm. He then doubled off of Miles Mikolas to start the third inning and scored on Brandon Marsh’s run-scoring double. The 33-year-old superstar is now hitting .255/.364/.500 with 24 long balls and 68 RBI on the season.

It’s the first time he’s played the outfield since Apr. 16, 2022. Harper is expected to be eased into right field, so expect him to continue to make some starts at first for now.

Harper crushed his 24th home run of the season 433 feet deep in the eighth inning to give the Phillies a three-run cushion. This may be Harper’s last game playing first base for a while since he’ll move back out to right field to accommodate Luis Arraez’s arrival in Philadelphia. We don’t expect that to change anything with Harper’s offensive success.

Arraez will play second base, with Bryson Stott moving to third and Alec Bohm to first. That will shift Bryce Harper, who brought his outfielder’s glove on the current road trip, back to the grass. This doesn’t change much for anybody’s fantasy value, but it will be nice for Harper to have multiple position eligibility in 2027 fantasy leagues.