Bryce Harper may soon debut at his temporary new position. On Friday, Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson said Harper is "pretty close" to debuting at first base, and it could happen as soon as this weekend (per The Athletic). Harper's throwing is still limited following Tommy John surgery, making first base the only way to get him back onto the field defensively.
"You've just got to go out there and do it," Thomson told the Philadelphia Inquirer last month about Harper's adjustment period at first base. "I think everybody has to understand, too, that the speed of the game is different than just taking ground balls. There's situations that come up that he's got to work through and he's got to learn from some mistakes because they're going to happen. Trust me. And that's natural."
Harper returned to the Phillies on May 2, less than six months after having his elbow rebuilt, and he's been limited to DH duty while progressing with his throwing program and rehab work behind the scenes. He has been taking ground balls and working out at first base for weeks, though, as Thomson notes, game action is much different, and Harper has never played first before. He will return to the outfield once he fully completes his rehab, which may not happen until this offseason.
The Phillies are without Rhys Hoskins this season after he tore his ACL near the end of spring training. Darick Hall missed several weeks with a thumb injury as well. Alec Bohm leads the team with 42 starts at first base, and Edmundo Sosa, who owns a .263 on-base percentage, fills in at third base with Bohm at first. It's been a patchwork infield at best.
Harper being able to play first base allows Bohm to go back to third and Thomson to use Sosa in a more limited role, while also freeing up the DH spot for Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos. The Phillies called up speedy outfielder Johan Rojas, one of their top prospects, on Friday. He could regular get at-bats as soon as Harper begins playing first base.
Now 30, Harper owns a .290/.386/.400 batting line with only three home runs in 56 games this season. He has not gone deep since May 21 and the 36-game homer drought is far and away the longest of his career. Harper is hitting for average and getting on base, though at some point Philadelphia will need him to hit the ball out of the park.
The Phillies open the second half with a 48-41 record. They have won 23 of their last 32 games and are a half-game behind the third and final wild-card spot. Philadelphia begins an important four-game home series with the San Diego Padres on Friday.
