One of baseball’s powerhouses won’t be at full strength for the near future.
On Friday, the Phillies placed stars Bryce Harper (left hamstring strain) and Kyle Schwarber (left groin strain) on the 10-day injured list.
In their places, Philadelphia started Kody Clemens at first base and shifted Nick Castellanos to designated hitter for Friday’s tilt with the Marlins.
Harper grounded out to end Thursday’s 7-4 loss to Miami and came up limping, immediately grabbing his hamstring.
Meanwhile, Schwarber — who last grounded out in the sixth — was replaced in left field by Brandon Marsh in the top of the ninth.
There appears to be good news, though: Multiple reports shared that neither is expected to be out for a prolonged period, likely to miss several weeks rather than months.
It had the potential to be worse, as Harper warned after the game that he had “never felt anything like this before.”
On Thursday, Harper was named one of the first two 2024 All-Stars as the National League’s top vote-getter.
The 31-year-old is off to another astronomical start, batting .303 with 20 home runs through 76 games.
Schwarber had also been a key part of the Phillies’ lineup, swatting 17 homers with 49 RBIs.
Philadelphia’s 53-28 mark is the best in baseball, with the team remaining in first place in the NL East since May 3.
Maybe most impressive is that the Phillies have seldom been at full strength throughout 2024.
All-Star shortstop Trea Turner missed 38 games after a hamstring strain of his own, while stalwart catcher J.T. Realmuto hasn’t played since June 9 because of a meniscus injury that required surgery.
Now down two more top batters, the Phillies will need to rely even more heavily on third baseman Alec Bohm — in the midst of a career-best season — along with Turner, Marsh and Edmundo Sosa.
On the bright side, their pitching — with Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Ranger Suarez and Christopher Sanchez — has been an anchor all season, something which could mitigate weakened offensive production.
The Phillies close out a four-game series with Miami this weekend but will be shorthanded in two high-stakes series before the All-Star break against the Braves and Dodgers.