Phillies Make Bryce Harper Lineup Decision After ‘Wild’ Reaction
ARLINGTON, TEXAS – AUGUST 08: Manager Rob Thomson #49 of the Philadelphia Phillies looks on prior to the game against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field on August 08, 2025 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images)
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The Philadelphia Phillies opted to bring back largely the same roster after a second straight playoff disappointment and perhaps it’s the lack of a new star in Spring Training that has drawn so much attention to the returning franchise player.
On Sunday, Bryce Harper fielded several pointed questions from the media and advanced a few intriguing storylines in the process. He praised the record free agency spending of the Los Angeles Dodgers, bid adieu to former teammate Nick Castellanos and offered a lengthy soundbite about criticism from the team’s president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski.
“For me, it was kind of wild the whole situation of that happening,” Harper said to reporters, per a video relayed by NBC Sports Philadelphia. “I think the big thing for me was, when we first met with this organization, it was, ‘Hey, you know, we’re always going to keep things in-house, and we expect you to do the same.’ And so, you know, when that didn’t happen, kind of took me for a run a little bit.”
Phillies fans are surely aware that Dombrowski noted that Harper “didn’t have an elite season” shortly after last season ended. And Harper has been willing to share his issues with those comments.
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And another one of the concerns Harper discussed on Sunday was for the team’s fourth spot in the batting order.
“I think the numbers in the four spot weren’t very good last year for our whole team,” Harper said, according to Phillies Nation’s Destiny Lugardo. “Whoever is in that four spot is going to have a big job to do, depending on who’s hitting three.”
As he struggled to recapture his MVP form last year, and certainly after Dombrowski acknowledged it, it seemed possible that Harper’s issues were amplified by the lack of a strong hitter behind him in the order. Harper saw the lowest percentage of pitches in the zone among all MLB hitters last year, perhaps because pitchers felt they could walk him with Alec Bohm or JT Realmuto often coming up next.
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But as of Sunday, manager Rob Thomson revealed that his decision on protection for Harper will be pretty much the same as it was last year.
“Rob really wants to have a right-handed bat in the cleanup spot to protect Bryce Harper, with Alec Bohm, JT Realmuto, Adolis Garcia as the leading candidates,” NBC Sports’ John Clark reported.
“Alec Bohm is the most likely to hit fourth, but Adolis Garcia and J.T. Realmuto also mentioned,” according to MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki.
Following an uncharacteristic season at the plate and some outspokenness on the “wild” commentary from Dombrowski, Harper appears set to reclaim the third spot of the order. And while Garcia is a new face, it seems Thomson has also decided that Bohm and Realmuto will remain two of his primary protection options.
