Harrison Bader continues to provide jolt for Phillies in leadoff spot
Wheeler's surgery pushed back
From The Reporter: https://tinyurl.com/4z9muh9x
PHILADELPHIA — Harrison Bader stood in front of his locker Wednesday and simply smiled as reporters asked whether he knew he was hitting leadoff again. The Gold Glove outfielder has become more than a platoon bat since arriving at the trade deadline; he has turned into a catalyst for a lineup missing National League batting leader Trea Turner.
In a 9-3 Phillies victory a day earlier, the right-handed Bader had three hits, including a solo homer, from the leadoff spot when the New York Mets started southpaw Sean Manaea. Manager Rob Thomson had said, “Oh, I don’t think I’d do it against right-handers,” but that’s exactly what he did in Wednesday’s third installment of this four-game series.
“I don’t think I committed one way or the other,” Thomson said Wednesday. “I said day-to-day, and that’s what it is. He had a big night last night, so let’s run it back through again.”
Bader went on to open the bottom of the first against Mets righty Clay Holmes with a base hit and later scored. He followed up with a double to left in the second, finishing 2-for-5 with a hit-by-pitch while crossing the plate twice in an 11-3 Phillies romp to clinch the series.
The Phillies expected to lean on Turner before he strained his hamstring late last month. When he landed on the injured list, Thomson tried Bryce Harper at leadoff. Harper went 0‑for‑4 in a 1-0 Phillies win Monday; Bader was 3-for-5 from the No. 5 spot with righty Nolan McLean starting for New York.
Even though Thomson may have preferred not to hit Bader leadoff, back‑to‑back three‑hit games made the decision hard to pass up. The Phillies’ depth allowed Thomson to platoon Nick Castellanos and Max Kepler in right field, but Bader’s surge meant he was penciled into the top of the lineup regardless of righty/lefty matchup.
The Phillies acquired Bader from the Minnesota Twins on July 31 in exchange for a pair of minor leaguers — outfielder Hendry Mendez and right-handed pitcher Geremy Villoria. Since his arrival, Bader has done much more than plug a hole in center field. In 33 games as a Phillie through Sept. 9, he slashed .333/.398/.533 with four homers and 13 RBIs, good for a .932 OPS.
The combination of Bader, Brandon Marsh, Kepler, Castellanos and Weston Wilson produced a .278/.330/.470 line (.800 OPS) with 25 doubles, two triples, 17 homers and 51 RBIs in the 37 games since he joined the club
Bader’s hot streak has been startling. Over his last 17 games through Sept. 9, he recorded seven three‑hit games and went 26‑for‑59 (.441) with a 1.213 OPS. Those numbers convinced Thomson to keep him in the leadoff spot, at least temporarily. Turner is expected back before the playoffs.
Bader’s success isn’t limited to conventional statistics. His OPS+ with Philadelphia sits at 153, according to The Sporting News, meaning he has been 53 percent better than league average since the trade. Bader also expressed gratitude for the Twins trading him, saying he is thankful to play meaningful games in a pennant race.
“It’s a gift,” the outfielder keeps repeating about being dealt to a top contender. The phrase has become a running joke around the clubhouse, as teammates and the manager himself have started applying it to all sorts of situations.
“He works hard and he’s improved his offensive game,” Thomson said. “But I think he’s good at involving his clubhouse because he’s a really good personality. He’s got a lot of energy. I think that fits perfectly with the way he’s going. … He fits perfectly with the group we’ve got.”
It was Bader’s home run ball in Miami last Friday that led to the incident involving “Philly Karen.” A woman in Phillies garb in the left field stands accosted a man and his son, also Phillies fans, to demand the ball after the father, Drew Feltwell, had retrieved it from the ground and given it to his son Lincoln for his birthday. Drew eventually handed over the ball to the enraged lady to de-escalate the situation, after which she gave him and his family the middle finger.
A representative of the Marlins gifted a goodie bag of baseballs to Lincoln and his sister Avery. After the game, Bader met with the entire family and presented Lincoln with a signed bat.
Bader is on a one-year deal with a mutual option after the season, meaning both he and the team would have to agree to an extension. He’d be owed a pre-set guaranteed $10 million for 2026, otherwise he could take a $1.5 million buyout and test the market, according to Spotrac.
Wheeler update: Phillies ace Zack Wheeler, who was around the team earlier in the week, suffered a minor setback in his timetable for thoracic outlet decompression surgery, which he was hoping to undergo sometime this month. It is delayed indefinitely because of an issue related to blood thinners he’s been prescribed.
In August, Wheeler underwent a successful procedure to remove a blood clot in his pitching arm and was diagnosed with venous thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS), and the recommendation was to have thoracic outlet decompression surgery. TOS occurs when blood vessels or nerves in the space between the collarbone and first rib (the thoracic outlet) are compressed, which can lead to pain, tingling, numbness and weakness in the neck, shoulder, arm and hand. The causes include trauma and repetitive arm motion. The surgery relieves this compression and has a typical recovery time of six to eight months.
NOTES: With Bader in center field Wednesday, Brandon Marsh returned from the flu to play left while a red-hot Max Kepler got the start in right over Nick Castellanos. … The Phillies outscored the Mets 21-6 in the first three games of this series, the final set of the regular season between these division rivals. … The Mets are still clinging to the last NL wild card spot, with the Giants, Reds and Diamondbacks close behind.
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Follow Christiaan DeFranco on X at @the_defranc.