Phillies put Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber on IL, but feel ‘very fortunate’ the injuries aren’t worse
The Phillies recalled outfielder Johan Rojas from triple-A Lehigh Valley and reinstated infielder Kody Clemens from the 10-day injured list.
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After two injury scares in Thursday night’s game, the Phillies announced on Friday that Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber were placed on the 10-day injured list.
Harper has a left hamstring strain, and Schwarber has a left groin strain. Both strains were described by manager Rob Thomson as “very mild.” Thomson hopes Harper and Schwarber can return within 10-14 days. He said they have a “good chance” of returning before the All-Star break.
“We dodged a bullet here,” Thomson said. “When I was told of Schwarber’s groin, I was told it was pulled. And that kind of threw me for a loop because it was in between innings, and I didn’t see Schwarber. And I didn’t see him limp or anything. And then when I saw Harp limping down the line, that threw me for a loop. Yeah, we’re very fortunate. We dodged a bullet.”
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Harper declined to put a timetable on his return, but he echoed Thomson’s sentiment that it was better news than they could have received.
“Just sore,” Harper said. “Obviously, I’m bummed to go on the IL. Never wanted that to happen, obviously. But it was the best decision for us and our team. So hopefully get back the smartest way possible, the quickest way as well.”
Harper injured his hamstring running to first base for the final out of Thursday’s 7-4 loss to the Marlins. Schwarber injured his groin in the eighth inning while fielding a ball that deflected off the glove of shortstop Edmundo Sosa and rolled into left field.
The Phillies activated infielder Kody Clemens from the 10-day injured list and recalled outfielder Johan Rojas from triple-A Lehigh Valley as corresponding moves. Clemens will share time at first base with Alec Bohm. Rojas is expected to take the bulk of playing time in center field.
Thomson said Bryson Stott will take the leadoff spot in Schwarber’s absence, and he was atop the lineup Friday against the Marlins. The infielder has struggled to find consistency at the plate this year, but is amid a better stretch. Entering Friday, Stott was batting .300/.364/.367 over his last nine games with a .730 OPS. He hit .196/.289/.283 with a .571 OPS from June 1-16.
The Phillies will rotate players in the designated hitter spot. Nick Castellanos will DH Friday.
Losing J.T. Realmuto, Harper, and Schwarber within the same month is a brutal hit, but the Phillies are confident they will survive this, just like they have with other injured players.
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“Obviously, next-man-up mentality,” Harper said. “I think we’ve done a great job of that all year long. Couple of guys coming up, Kody’s back, and Rojas is back. Pony up, cowboy up, play the game.”
Added shortstop Trea Turner: “I’ve talked about it since I’ve been here, the locker room, the guys we have … we’ve got a bunch of guys who don’t like losing. We like working. Trying to get better and kind of never satisfied. So I think that plays into [tackling that] adversity.
“We all have that attitude of wanting to grind it out. Want to have that toughness, wanna have some swagger. We know we’re good but also want to compete and get down to the nitty-gritty. So, I think [Schwarber] is at the front of that, and I think Bryce is, too. We’ve got a bunch of those guys.”