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Phillies' Bryce Harper: In lineup despite sore knee
Rotowire
Harper is in the designated hitter spot Monday in St. Louis due to nagging knee soreness that's worsened since he moved to right field, Charlotte Varnes of The Athletic reports.
Harper fouled a ball off his knee before the All-Star break and hasn't been able to get over the hump with the injury. The soreness is not bad enough to prevent Harper from playing, but it's possible his time in the outfield will be limited until the discomfort goes away. Derek Hill is playing right field and Kyle Schwarber is getting a start at first base for the Phillies in Monday's series opener.
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Phillies' Bryce Harper: Smacks solo homer Saturday
Rotowire
Harper went 1-for-5 with a solo home run during Saturday's 7-5 extra-innings loss to Toronto.
Harper and Trea Turner ended Max Scherzer's shutout bid in the sixth, with the Phillies smacking back-to-back solo homers off the veteran right-hander. It was Harper's fifth long ball since the All-Star break and brought him up to 25 home runs on the year. He has an .869 OPS with six steals and 71 RBI across 499 plate appearances this season.
The Phillies plan to move Harper back to right field to accommodate the arrival of new acquisition Luis Arraez, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.
Arraez will remain at second base -- where he's been a plus defender this season -- which will create a domino effect of Bryson Stott shifting to third base, Alec Bohm to first base and Harper back to right field, where he hasn't played since 2022. It means Harper will pick up outfield eligibility in fantasy leagues soon, but the move could also increase his injury risk.
Harper went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run, two walks and an additional run scored in Monday's 8-7 loss to Miami.
Harper launched just his second homer of the month of July on Monday. He's struggled at the plate overall lately, hitting just .190 with the aforementioned two long balls, six doubles and nine RBI over his last 75 at-bats. That said, the All-Star first baseman is still maintaining strong season figures despite the slump, slashing .252/.359/.491 with 22 big flies, 63 RBI, six stolen bases and 64 runs scored across 451 plate appearances.
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