With Rhys Hoskins done for the regular season rehabbing a torn ACL and backup first baseman Darick Hall out two months after undergoing thumb surgery on Wednesday, the Phillies could soon have an unexpected answer at first base: Bryce Harper.
Harper has been working out at first base in an effort to provide the Phillies more flexibility upon his return from Tommy John surgery. He'll continue to do so on a daily basis. He's ready to hit in a game now, Phillies manager Rob Thomson said this week, but sliding remains a hurdle. Harper is still at a point where sliding the wrong way could rupture the repaired ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. Any false move on a dive back to the first-base bag on a pickoff attempt, any slide into second base could derail all the progress he has made.
Initially, the Phillies planned to return Harper as their designated hitter, the role he filled after April 16 last season. Throwing will be the final step of his rehab and the DH spot offered the Phils the ability to reinsert his bat before he's ready to play the field.
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Harper has never played first base in his major-league career other than two times when he was shifted to a five-man infield to prevent the winning run from scoring. He's played 10,793 innings in the field and all but one-third of them were in the outfield.
"Bryce is a hard worker, athletic and there's the want to do it that he has," Thomson told reporters Thursday. "I think he has as good a chance as anyone to do it."
The Phillies never placed Harper on the 60-day injured list out of spring training, leaving open the possibility he could return by Memorial Day. It remains to be seen whether he'd be ready that quickly -- it's an important point of the season for the Phillies, a 10-game NL East road trip through Atlanta, New York and Washington -- or whether the first half of June is more realistic.
If Harper can get back on the field and capably play first base, it would go a long way for the 2023 Phillies. It would allow Kyle Schwarber or Nick Castellanos to continue as the DH, boosting the Phils' outfield defense. It would provide a place for J.T. Realmuto rest his legs after long stretches behind the plate. If Harper were occupying the DH spot on an everyday basis, none of that would be possible.
MLB
With Hoskins and Hall hurt, the Phillies have been using Alec Bohm and Kody Clemens at first base.