Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper was primarily used as a designated hitter and a first baseman this past season. And according to Phillies manager Dave Dombrowski, Harper will be making the change to first base full-time from now on.
The shift from right field to first base from Harper largely came at first due to an injury that has been hampering him for quite some time now. Harper underwent Tommy John surgery in November of 2022 to repair a partially torn UCL in his throwing arm.
Harper famously manned right field for the first 11 years of his MLB career, so the transition to first base certainly took some getting used to for the two-time MVP.
The Phillies must have liked what they saw from Harper at the first base position, as Dombrowski announced that Harper will be manning the position full-time from now on.
“We decided we’re going to play him at first base,” said Dombrowski via Phillies beat writer Todd Zolecki. “He’s happy to do whatever we wanted him to do. He said he’d play first or the outfield. He feels great. But the more we talked about it internally, we liked the idea of playing him at first.”
Dave Dombrowski, on Bryce Harper: "We decided we're going to play him at first base. … He's happy to do whatever we wanted him to do. He said he'd play first or the outfield. He feels great. But the more we talked about it internally, we liked the idea of playing him at first."
— Todd Zolecki (@ToddZolecki) November 8, 2023
This has a pretty big impact on the rest of the team. Zolecki added that this means that Phillies star Kyle Schwarber will transition to the team’s full-time designated hitter. That leaves veteran first baseman Rhys Hoskins without much of a role on the team moving forward.
Dave Dombrowski said he spoke with Rhys Hoskins to tell him about the decision. Harper will be the everyday first baseman (he will not play right field) and the Phillies see Kyle Schwarber as the primary DH, essentially leaving Hoskins nowhere to play.
— Todd Zolecki (@ToddZolecki) November 8, 2023
Fans weighed in on this announcement regarding Harper’s position change, and what that means to the rest of the team.
It was an incredible run, but this is the right decision. Gives them flexibility to add a different kind of bat to the outfield with better defense in the infield. It will also be easier on Harper‘s back. https://t.co/zbKWUbpHsS
— John Stolnis (@JohnStolnis) November 8, 2023
Before you go holding this “against Bryce Harper”…read the words.
They want him to play 1B over Rhys, as they probably should. Sucks to see Rhys go, but might be necessary unless he can pony up and play LF. #Phillies https://t.co/lk0GDNZskk
— Philly Sports – Love & Pain (@PHLSportsPain) November 8, 2023
Well there it is folks. Rhys Hoskins’ time in Philadelphia is over https://t.co/MJDn7sV3Ow
— Connor Thomas (@ConnorThomas975) November 8, 2023
On one hand, I’m ecstatic b/c I’m a big supporter of First Baseman Bryce Harper™️
On the other… I feel incredibly bad for Rhys. Suck that this is how his Phillies career will end with us. Still, #ThankYouRhys 🫡 https://t.co/7DpxbiLCUm
— Depa Billaba’s One-Eyed SW Son (@DepaBanana) November 8, 2023
Ugh this sucks so much for Rhys. I’m gonna miss him https://t.co/lz6GnqGCRC
— Mark Kremer (@mark_kremer) November 8, 2023
Hoskins suffered a torn ACL near the end of spring training, forcing him to miss the entire 2023 season for Philadelphia. And unfortunately, it seems like the team will likely be moving on without him after this news emerged.
This announcement makes sense for Philadelphia, especially since they decided not to offer Hoskins a qualifying offer to bring him back to the team.
