The Philadelphia Phillies won their recent series with the rival Atlanta Braves, but the victory came with a significant loss as well.

In the first inning of the first game, superstar slugger Bryce Harper was struck by a pitch from Spencer Strider in his surgically repaired elbow. He was immediately removed from the game and, while he told reporters he’s hopeful he can avoid a trip to the injured list, the Phillies are preparing for an extended absence.

“Since Harper has been out, Alec Bohm has seen the bulk of the innings at first base,” according to Lochland March of The Philadelphia Inquirer. “But Kyle Schwarber also got some extra infield work taking grounders pregame on Friday.”

While Bohm has been the go-to substitute at first base for Harper, the move to give Schwarber more reps there is a bigger surprise. He hasn’t started a game at that position since 2021 and has only played 11 games there in his 11-year Major League Baseball career.

The Phillies should also be wary about making any changes that could throw off Schwarber’s approach at the plate. He has been the best hitter on the team so far this year, slugging .578 with 19 homers.

But the team seems unsure of the next steps for Harper, forcing the surprise decision to consider Schwarber as a defensive replacement.

“I think he’s ramped it up a little bit, just because of the Harper situation,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said of Schwarber’s first base reps, per March. “We don’t really know where we’re at with that.”

As Harper works his way back from the scary hit, the Phillies still have reason to hope Schwarber won’t need to fill in before he comes back.

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