Updated: 10:57 a.m.
Happy Harper Day, everyone.
The Phillies' first lineup with Bryce Harper is out and he will bat third in his spring debut this afternoon against the Blue Jays.
Harper is the designated hitter and is expected to have two plate appearances. You can watch the game live on NBC Sports Philadelphia or stream it here and on the MyTeams app.
1. Andrew McCutchen, CF
2. Jean Segura, SS
3. Bryce Harper, DH
4. Rhys Hoskins, 1B
5. J.T. Realmuto, C
6. Scott Kingery, 2B
7. Dylan Cozens, LF
8. Mitch Walding, 3B
9. Lane Adams, RF
Jake Arrieta, SP
The Phillies will ease in Harper gradually, first as the DH. He's expected to play right field on Monday afternoon against the Rays. After Saturday, the Phillies still have 15 spring training games left, more than enough time for Harper to find a comfort zone ahead of opening day on March 28.
MLB
Harper has said that he tends to need 40 to 45 plate appearances to feel ready for the season. He may not reach that threshold this month, but between batting practice and simulated games, he'll have seen enough live pitching.
Harper has always performed well in spring training, hitting a career .325/.417/.573 with 20 homers in 412 plate appearances.
But feeling comfortable means more than any set of numbers Harper could put up in Grapefruit League games.
There's gonna be a ton of juice today at Spectrum Field in what, for the first few innings, should have the same buzz as a regular-season game.
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