Bryce Harper placed on the paternity list; Phillies call up Kody Clemens

CINCINNATI — First baseman Bryce Harper was placed on the paternity list ahead of the Phillies’ series against the Cincinnati Reds on Monday. Manager Rob Thomson said the team expects Harper to return by Thursday.

Harper and his wife, Kayla, are expecting the birth of their third child.

Utilityman Kody Clemens was called up from triple-A Lehigh Valley to take Harper’s spot on the 26-man roster. Clemens started at first base on Monday night and went 2-for-4 with a three-run homer and a double. But he is unlikely to start on Tuesday or Wednesday, because both Reds starters on those days will be left-handed pitchers. Thomson said it’s likely that third baseman Alec Bohm will move to first base for those games.

Clemens, 27, has hit well for the IronPigs of late. He’s hitting .270/.333/.508 through 63 at-bats at Lehigh Valley with three home runs. He should provide some versatility, as he has big-league experience playing every position except for catcher and center field.

“He’s been swinging the bat great,” Thomson said of Clemens.

Brandon Marsh has spent the bulk of his Phillies tenure batting seventh or eighth, but on Monday night, he was penciled into the cleanup spot. Thomson said he was trying to be creative with upcoming matchups, and wanted to keep consistency in the lineup during Harper’s absence.

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“I’m trying to keep the lineup as consistent as possible, and trying to — I think they’ll have one lefty available tonight because [Brent] Suter went three and a third last night,” Thomson said. “So, I’m trying to wedge some righties around Marsh, if they want to put a lefty on him. In theory — that’s the theory.”

Marsh has hit .288/.324/.561 over 66 at-bats this season.

Taijuan Walker was with the club in Cincinnati on Monday afternoon. He made his final rehab start on April 21, throwing 102 pitches and allowing four earned runs on seven hits with three walks. He averaged 89.1 mph on his fastball, and topped out at 90.4 mph, but Thomson said that could be due to cold weather, lack of adrenaline, or both.

“I don’t know if that’s it, I’m assuming when he goes to a major-league ballpark, [the velocity is] going to go up,” Thomson said.

He added: “So, now we’ve got to fit him in the rotation. Where he’s going to go, not sure. He came in and felt pretty good today. We’ll see how he feels tomorrow. He’ll do a bullpen Wednesday. And then we’ll know then.”

Walker could rejoin the team as early as Friday. Thomson said the team still has not made a decision on whether to move Spencer Turnbull, but he said that a six-man rotation would be difficult, so it seems a move to the bullpen is likely.

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Phillies shortstop Trea Turner was named National League player of the week on Monday. He hit .462 over six games with one home run and one stolen base last week. Turner has a 10-game hitting streak.