Phillies Place Bryce Harper On IL, Call Up Otto Kemp

This is depressing for Phillies fans: First baseman Bryce Harper will head to the 10-day injured list due to right wrist inflammation. The move was announced Saturday before the Phils’ game against the Pirates and is retroactive to Friday when Harper missed a 5-4 loss to Pittsburgh.

“He’s just having trouble swinging,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said Friday. “So if it’s affecting his swing, we’re going to hold him off and get it right.”

Harper, a two-time MVP and eight-time All-Star, is batting .258 with nine home runs, 34 RBIs and eight stolen bases in 57 games. He missed five games from May 26 to June 2 with a bruised right elbow after being hit by a pitch from Atlanta’s Spencer Strider.

Last season, Harper dealt with a right wrist issue but played through the pain in a bone at the top of the wrist near the hand. On swings and misses, Harper would wince in pain. “At the end of last season, it was pretty good pain,” Harper said in spring training. “But there’s nothing much that you could really do. It was kind of like a bone bruise into my hand, so I had to let it heal the best I could. Obviously, there’s aches and pains for everybody, but that one kind of hit me a little bit harder last year.”

The Phils will shift third baseman Alec Bohm to first while Harper is out, and utility infielder Edmundo Sosa will step in at third.

The Harper injury comes at a rough time for the reeling Phillies, who have dropped seven of its last eight games and seen its two-game lead in the NL East evaporate. Philly now trails the New York Mets by 2½ games entering Saturday.

Lehigh Valley infielder/outfielder Otto Kemp will replace Harper on the active roster. Kemp, who has never played in the MLB, has torched Triple-A pitching this season, hitting .317 with 14 homers, 55 RBIs and 11 steals in 57 games.

While Harper is out, Kemp could get time at first base, although his natural position is third, which he could play if Bohm stays at first.

Philly fans have clamored for Kemp’s call-up since April when he was named International Player of the Month. Here’s some Otto for you:

At 25, Kemp isn’t your typical prospect. In fact, his rise through the Phillies’ system is a bit of a shocker, considering he went unselected during the 2022 draft. And the Phils scooped him up as an undrafted free agent. Now, Kemp should get a shot at some serious playing time while Harper is out.