Philadelphia Philliesdesignated hitterKyle Schwarber has continued to dominate in his 12th MLB season. The 33-year-old left-handed slugger re-signed with the Phillies this past offseason on a five-year, $150 million deal, which is an expensive price to pay for a player whose value comes almost entirely in the batter’s box.
Still, it is hard to argue it has not been worth it, and it is even harder to imagine what this Phillies team would look like without Schwarber.
He has posted a .230 batting average, .357 on-base percentage, .980 OPS, an MLB-best 20 home runs and 36 RBIs. He is well on his way toward earning his fourth career All-Star selection.
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With Sunday’s win over the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Phillies improved to 24-23, sitting above .500 for the first time since early April. They have now won four straight games.
However, ahead of Monday’s series opener against the Cincinnati Reds, Schwarber’s name was noticeably absent from the lineup. This marks his first time out of the starting lineup for the Phillies since 2024.
During his 2025 campaign, when he finished second in National League MVP voting, Schwarber appeared in all 162 games, and this year he had appeared in the first 47.
Speaking with reporters before the game, interim manager Don Mattingly said Schwarber is dealing with an illness. The team will continue to monitor his condition before deciding whether he is available off the bench (h/t Ty Daubert of Phillies Nation).
If Schwarber does not make a pinch-hit appearance, it will end his streak of consecutive games played. In his absence, Mattingly opted to slot Bryce Harper at designated hitter.
At Harper’s usual spot of first base, the Phillies turned to Alec Bohm, who is making his first start at the position since 2025.
