Bryce Harper back at first base for the Phillies for the first time in nearly a week
Harper had been limited because of back spasms. When asked if Harper could be expected to play first base every day, Rob Thomson said, “it’s just kind of day to day."
TORONTO — Bryce Harper started at first base on Wednesday night for the first time since Thursday, when he exited a game early with back spasms.
Before the Phillies flew to Toronto, manager Rob Thomson said he expected Harper to play both games against the Blue Jays at first base. That ended up not being the case. Harper was penciled into the DH spot on Tuesday night, moving Kyle Schwarber to left field.
It ended up being a consequential decision. Schwarber bobbled a fly ball in the eighth inning that would have given Seranthony Domínguez a much-needed out in a 2-1 loss. Thomson said before Tuesday’s game that the decision on Harper was precautionary.
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“It’s just to make sure his back is OK,” Thomson said, “being on the turf. Even though he’s not playing on the turf, it’s a skin infield.”
The last thing the Phillies want is to amplify any soreness Harper might be feeling. They are also more inclined to give him extra rest because he has a history of back pain. But on Wednesday, he was ready to return to the position.
“[He’s] feeling good,” Thomson said. “Plus, we have the day off tomorrow, which should give him some time to rest. Hopefully the back is fine and we can move forward.”
When asked if Harper could be expected to play first base every day, Thomson said, “it’s just kind of day to day. Depending on how he feels, what the matchups are, a lot of things go into it.
“I wouldn’t expect it. But, I mean, we’re going to try to stretch him out as much as we can.”
When asked how his back felt after Wednesday’s game, Harper said he felt “really good.”
“I look forward to keep playing over there,” he said.
Harper has made 12 starts at first base this season, a position he had to learn on the fly at the big league level. The Phillies have been concerned that bending over to field ground balls will provoke his back soreness. Playing first base puts a different kind of strain on the body than playing right field does.
It’s unclear at this point whether Harper will be able to play first base every day, as the Phillies originally expected him to. Thomson tends to air on the side of caution when talking about his players’ health concerns, and that’s especially true with Harper, who has shown a tendency to return from injury ahead of schedule.
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But with Schwarber playing statistically poor left-field defense, it would help the Phillies to have Harper back at first base sooner rather than later.
Thomson said that the first he’d heard of Harper’s back soreness was last Thursday. Harper had not reported any back soreness in games or while doing infield drills before that game.
Extra bases
José Alvarado (left elbow inflammation) threw a scoreless inning at Lehigh Valley on Tuesday, allowing one hit and striking out one. Assuming he feels well, he’ll throw another inning in his rehab on Friday. … Brandon Marsh (left knee contusion) ran the bases at Lehigh Valley on Tuesday and planned to do all non-game activities on Wednesday. If he comes out of that well, Marsh will DH for Lehigh Valley on Thursday. Thomson wasn’t sure how long of a rehab assignment he’ll need but said he “wouldn’t think it would be long.”