Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper established himself as one of the league's best defensive first baseman in 2024 in his first full season playing the position. But in the offseason, he offered to return to the outfield if the Phillies were to acquire a big bat (such as Pete Alonso) to play first base. It came after Harper said in February of last year that he never wanted to move back to the outfield. The 32-year-old two-time MVP says he's still open to moving back to right field if the Phillies were to acquire a first baseman at the trade deadline this summer. "The main goal is to win the World Series." Alonso re-signed with the Mets, but perhaps the Phillies look to trade for Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who is in the final year of his deal. Offensively, Harper returned to the 30-homer mark in 2024 and will come off the board in the early rounds of drafts as one of the best first baseman available.
Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper (triceps) will return to the team's Grapefruit League lineup on Friday against the Boston Red Sox after he was hit by a pitch on Wednesday. Harper was removed from Wednesday's game against the Toronto Blue Jays as a precaution after suffering a right-triceps contusion. The Phillies gave the 32-year-old two-time MVP the day off at camp on Thursday. The eight-time All-Star is still looking for his first World Series ring heading into his 14th MLB season in 2025. He has taken well to the move from right field to first base and slashed .285/.373/.525 with an .898 OPS, 30 home runs, 87 RBI, seven steals and 85 runs scored in 145 games a year ago in his sixth year in Philadelphia. In a strong Phillies lineup, Harper is one of the safest fantasy selections at first base and is ranked No. 3 at the position at RotoBaller.
Bryce Harper Should Be Fine After Being Hit By Pitch
Updating a previous report, the Philadelphia Phillies think first baseman Bryce Harper (triceps) will be fine after he was hit by a pitch in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Toronto Blue Jays, according to manager Rob Thomson. Harper left the game immediately in the sixth inning and has a contusion in the right triceps area. "They're not overly concerned," Thomson said. The Phillies will check on Harper again on Thursday. The 32-year-old former MVP won't play on Thursday, but he should be just fine moving forward. Fantasy managers also shouldn't have anything to worry about. Harper reached the 30-homer mark for the fifth time in his career in 2024 and also had 40-plus doubles for the second time in his career. RotoBaller has him ranked as the No. 3 fantasy first baseman and the No. 22 overall player this spring.
Bryce Harper Leaves Early After Being Hit By Pitch
Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper (biceps) was hit on the right biceps by a Richard Lovelady pitch on Wednesday during his Grapefruit League debut versus the Toronto Blue Jays and immediately came out of the game. The 32-year-old was hit in the arm in his third plate appearance of the day in the sixth inning. It's unclear of the severity of Harper's injury, but there's a good chance it's nothing very serious and the Phillies are just exercising precaution with the All-Star first baseman. Stay tuned for an update on Harper by the end of Wednesday. The former first overall pick by the Washington Nationals in 2010 out of the College of Southern Nevada is a two-time MVP and slashed .285/.373/.525 with an .898 OPS, 30 home runs, 87 RBI and seven steals in 145 regular-season games for the Phils in 2024. Harper has reached the 30-homer mark five times in his career and is RotoBaller's No. 3 fantasy first baseman.
Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper (illness) is missing the team's first full-squad spring training workout on Monday because he's under the weather. In addition, shortstop Trea Turner (personal) remains away from the team after his wife recently had a baby. Turner is expected back on the field on Wednesday. The 32-year-old Harper should be back on the field sooner than later this week. The two-time MVP and eight-time All-Star has taken to the move to first base well and he managed his fifth 30-homer season in 2024 while also slashing .285/.373/.525 with an .898 OPS, 87 RBI, seven stolen bases and 85 runs scored in 631 plate appearances and 145 games played, his most since 2019 in his first year in Philly. Fantasy managers should treat Harper as a top-five fantasy first baseman heading into his seventh year with the Phils.
Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper belted a pair of home runs in a 2-for-4 day at the plate in Saturday's 6-4 win over the Mets. The 31-year-old drove in three runs and scored twice in the contest. Both home runs came off of Mets starter Luis Severino and gave him 28 on the year. The 8x All-Star is red-hot in September, slashing .400/.460/.689 in 12 games so far. For the season, the 2x MVP has a robust .290-28-82-79-5 line with a .386 wOBA and 149 wRC+, making him a top option at first base for fantasy.
Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper (elbow) is back at first base and batting third on Thursday in the series opener against the division-rival Miami Marlins and right-hander Adam Oller at LoanDepot Park. Harper was hit by a pitch on his left elbow in the series finale in his first bat on Wednesday against the Toronto Blue Jays and was forced from the game, but X-rays came back negative and Harper won't miss any time at all. The 31-year-old All-Star and former two-time MVP has been excellent in 2024 with 26 home runs, 76 RBI and a .282/.372/.521 slash line for fantasy managers in 123 games. The former first overall pick in 2010 has been even better in 13 games since Aug. 22, batting .362 (17-for-47) with seven doubles, although he hasn't homered and has drove in only three runs in that span. Either way, keep him in your starting lineups.
Philadelphia Phillies All-Star first baseman Bryce Harper (elbow) said he felt better after receiving treatment on Wednesday for his left elbow after leaving the series finale against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre early when he was hit by a pitch. Harper said he's good, and manager Rob Thomson described the decision to pull Harper early as "more precautionary" with his elbow stiffening up. He didn't have an official at-bat in the 4-2 win and was replaced by pinch-hitter Edmundo Sosa before his second at-bat. The 31-year-old has also dealt with nagging right elbow and wrist injuries of late, so it would be a surprise to see Harper in the lineup on Thursday for the series opener in Miami against the division-rival Marlins. But thankfully for fantasy managers and the Phils, Harper appears to be day-to-day and should return to action at some point this weekend.
Philadelphia Phillies All-Star first baseman Bryce Harper (elbow) left Wednesday's contest early against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre with a left-elbow contusion after he was hit by a pitch, according to the team. Harper will be evaluated further. Harper was hit by a pitch in the first inning of the series finale and initially stayed in before being replaced by a pinch-hitter before his second at-bat. Fantasy managers will want to check back for more news on the 31-year-old's condition soon. In addition to Harper's left elbow, he told MLB.com last week that he's been playing with a sore wrist and sore right elbow, so he's clearly not 100% and now has another injury to deal with. Even if tests on Harper's left elbow come back clean, fantasy managers shouldn't be surprised if he's held out for Thursday's series in Miami against the division-rival Marlins.
Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper had two hits on Monday's game, with one being a walk-off single in the bottom of the 10th against the Houston Astros. In the game, he went 2-for-3 with a double, two walks, and a run scored. Harper, recognized as one of the game's best hitters, has had a slow second half to his 2024 season. Before the All-star break, his OPS was .982, and it has only been .683 since. Hopefully, Harper can use the momentum from Monday's performance to get back on track as the Phillies brace themselves for a difficult September and October ahead.
Bryce Harper
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