Bryce Harper said what every Philadelphia Phillies fan was feeling last week when he declared, “I think we need some help.”
To help make that happen, the two-time Most Valuable Player will make a surprising move back to the outfield.
After the Phillies acquired infielder Luis Arraez from the San Francisco Giants on Monday, interim manager Don Mattingly revealed that Harper will return to right field to make everything fit.
Mattingly told reporters that Arraez will report to the club Tuesday and play his usual position of second base. Bryson Stott will shift from second to third base, Alec Bohm from third to first and Harper from first to right.
Harper has not played outfield in a major league game since April 16, 2022. He suffered a tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing elbow that spring and served as a designated hitter upon his return, then converted to first base during the 2023 season to protect his elbow.
Harper, 33, won his 2015 and 2021 National League MVPs while playing mostly right field for the Washington Nationals and Phillies, respectively. He has noted in recent years that he would make the switch back to right if Philadelphia needed him to.
“I’ve said it in years past. I mean, I know everybody thinks it’s crap when I say it, but it’s not,” Harper told reporters Monday. “I think any chance that we have an opportunity to win, I’d do anything for this organization and they know that. I texted Dave (Dombrowski) late last night and told him, ‘Hey, if anything pops up, make the move and we’ll see what happens.”
Harper did go on to emphasize that the move was temporary and he planned to return to first base in 2027. Arraez becomes a free agent at the end of this season.
He had high praise for Arraez, a four-time All-Star who has won league batting titles with three teams: the Minnesota Twins in 2022, the Miami Marlins in 2023 and the San Diego Padres in 2024 after an early-season trade from Miami.
Arraez is batting an NL-high .324 in 105 games this season.
“Obviously it’s a guy that won the batting title a couple years and somebody that’s gonna put the bat on the ball and an exciting player,” Harper said. “I think he just brings a lot to our lineup that he’s got that hit tool, and it’s somebody that can be really good for us.”
–Field Level Media
