The Philadelphia Phillies are locked in at third place in the National League Wild Card race, but after a 2-1 series defeat at the hands of the Toronto Blue Jays, the team will be looking to turn things around as they hit the road to take on the St. Louis Cardinals.
Game one of that series will take place on Monday night, and with the Phillies now sitting at 63-56 on the season, they’ll be looking to take down the Cardinals, a team sitting just 3.5 games back of them in the Wild Card race. Ahead of Monday’s series opener, the Phillies have announced some changes as they continue to balance this lineup after a very productive trade deadline helped them change things up.
Bryce Harper to DH Against the Cardinals
GettyBryce Harper of the Philadelphia Phillies.
At the trade deadline, the Phillies acquired infielder Luis Arraez, and now that’s forced some changes, with the team having players that can play in several different positions. One of those is Bryce Harper, who played the field on Sunday against Toronto when he was in right field, and after play at first base for much of the season, he continues to show that versatility.
Now, he gets another change ahead of the Cardinals series, as it has been announced that Harper will play the Designated Hitter role, with veteran lefty Kyle Schwarber set to play first base in a crucial game for Philadelphia.
K. Schwarber 1B B. Stott 3B B. Harper DH L. Arraez 2B B. Marsh LF D. Hill RF J. Crawford CF E. Sosa SS G. Stubbs C
A. Painter SP
This change comes after the Phillies exploded for six runs against Toronto on Sunday, and while they would end up losing the series, the offensive outburst gave them plenty of confidence as they hit the road to take on the Cardinals on Monday in what could end up being a very critical series in the NL Wild Card race.
Can Bryce Harper Spark the Phillies Back to the World Series?
With the additions the Phillies made at the trade deadline, there’s no excuses for this team to not at least be a National League Championship Series team in 2025, as they have one of the best starting rotations in baseball to go along with an incredibly star studded lineup.
Harper will once again play a key role in any potential success for the Phillies, and in 2026 he’s once again been fantastic, hitting .255 with an .870 OPS alongside 25 home runs and 71 RBI, and with the rest of the lineup slugging once again, this is a team that ranks 14th in baseball in total runs scored with the post-season approaching.
Now, with the addition of Arraez, the team can get many different looks in their lineup based on who their opponents are and how they want to play, and they can change that in any different game, so if they can stay relatively healthy in the next few months, this is a team that could finally fulfill the World Series potential that they’ve been showing for a number of seasons now.
Phillies Annonce Bryce Harper Change for Cardinals Series Opener