Reinforcements are on the way for the Philadelphia Phillies. After going 5-4 in their 9 games without them, the Phillies activated Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber from the injured list on Tuesday.
Phillies activate Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber
It will be a needed boost for the Phils whose offense disappeared in the last 2 games against the Braves. The team could only score 2 runs in their last 20 innings played. Now, they’ll return their leadoff and 3-hole hitters back to the lineup.
Bryce Harper had been in the midst of an MVP-type season when he pulled up lame to first base to end the 1st game of the Marlins series. Before going down, he had a .303/.399/.582 slash line with 20 homers in 76 games. He’s still 5th in all of baseball with his .981 OPS.
Kyle Schwarber was in the middle of his usual June boom. He was hitting .267 with a .900 OPS in June. Overall, he had an .820 OPS with 17 homers in 2024. Even with the 9 games off, he still leads the National League in walks.
“Any time you can get a couple former All-Stars and Current All-Stars back on your roster it’s always good,” said Phillies manager Rob Thomson pregame Tuesday.
Those 2 All-Stars return to be tested by the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers currently lead the NL West with 55 wins. While the Phillies have 7 All-Stars this season, the Dodgers are just 1 behind at 6. They’ll roll in with stars such as Freddie Freeman and Shohei Ohtani.
While it’s an early July matchup, there will surely be a playoff feel with the 2 best teams in the National League coming head-to-head. Harper and Schwarber couldn’t be coming back at a better time for the Phillies.
AP Photo/Matt Rourke
