November 08, 2023

Bryce Harper will be the Phillies' first baseman full-time

Phillies president Dave Dombrowski told reporters at the GM meetings that Bryce Harper will the club's first baseman going forward, likely signaling the end for Rhys Hoskins' run in Philadelphia.

By Nick Tricome
PhillyVoice Staff

The conversation was had and a decision was made: Bryce Harper will be the Phillies' first baseman moving forward.

Phillies president Dave Dombrowski confirmed the move to reporters Wednesday at the MLB GM meetings down in Scottsdale, Arizona, and also told them that Rhys Hoskins has been informed of the decision, which likely spells the end of the longtime slugger's run in Philadelphia.

More on Harper's full-time switch to first via MLB.com's Todd Zolecki:

Dave Dombrowski said he spoke with Rhys Hoskins to tell him about the decision. Harper will be the everyday first baseman (he will not play right field) and the Phillies see Kyle Schwarber as the primary DH, essentially leaving Hoskins nowhere to play.
— Todd Zolecki (@ToddZolecki) November 8, 2023

Keeping Harper at first does allow the Phillies to form a more robust lineup. The DH spot gets cleared up for Kyle Schwarber, who can focus solely on hitting, while Nick Castellanos can remain in right field with left and center going to the more athletic Brandon Marsh and/or Cristian Pache/Johan Rojas (for now).

It all seems to come at the expense, however, of leaving Hoskins with no spot to consistently play, which was always a concern the Phillies were going to have to deal with at some point once Harper started learning the position to compensate for Hoskins being out from an ACL tear.

Some point finally arrived, and while the door on a Hoskins return isn't entirely shut yet, it looks like the situation will soon lead him and the Phillies to both move on.

Via The Philadelphia Inquirer's Alex Coffey:

Dombrowski to reporters: "We think the world of Rhys and Jayme. They are wonderful people who have done so much for the community. I don't want to 100% close any doors but I'd say that's the situation. He understood. If he's not back with us, we wish him nothing but the best"
— Alex Coffey (@byalexcoffey) November 8, 2023