Why is red-hot Harrison Bader out of Phillies lineup on Friday?
PHILADELPHIA — Red-hot outfielder Harrison Bader, hitting .313 with an .890 OPS since coming to Philadelphia at the trade deadline, is out of the lineup on Friday night as the Phillies continue to shuffle their outfielders in the latter portion of the season.
Manager Rob Thomson opted to use Max Kepler in left field, Brandon Marsh in center field and Nick Castellanos in right field against Bryce Elder and the Braves in the second of a four-game series at Citizens Bank Park with Bader on the bench.
“He’s really swinging the bat well,” Thomson said about Bader. “It was just basically the numbers Nick has against their pitcher. So it was a tough call really, to tell you the truth.”
After sitting in Thursday’s series opener as the Phillies clubbed seven home runs, Castellanos will get the start versus the righty Elder, a pitcher he has success facing. Castellanos is 3-for-7 with three home runs off Elder in the regular season, and the right-handed hitter also homered off him during the 2023 National League Division Series.
So if Thomson wanted Castellanos in there, did he consider sitting one of Marsh, who’s batting .182 in his last 15 games, or Kepler, who hit a home run on Thursday, to keep Bader in the lineup? Not particularly, the manager said, with Bader starting six games in a row and playing in seven straight.
“We got a long stretch, so he could probably use a day off,” Thomson said.
The Phillies have deployed a rotation in the outfield since Bader joined the equation in August, and they’ve gotten better results. Kepler has an .850 OPS in 15 games this month. The struggling Castellanos has seen some of his playing time reduced. But Bader has provided the biggest boost of all, both at the plate and in center field.
That’s what makes Thomson’s decision to sit him on Friday at least a bit puzzling. Bader is making a case to serve as an everyday player with his place, and, in fairness, he has gotten the majority of the opportunities of late. But Thomson seems committed to rotating his outfielders for the time being.
“The challenge is really trying to figure it out, right?” Thomson said. “The communication is pretty easy. Our guys, they’re all in. And whatever is best for the club, they’re all in. So it’s just really trying to figure out what the rotation is. Figuring out matchup history, how hot a guy is at the time, splits; putting all those things together and trying to figure out: OK, who are the three guys going out there today? So it’s difficult.”