MLB: Dave Dombrowski reveals whether or not he will hire an outfielder to cover Bryce Harper’s loss

The Philadelphia Phillies received a heavy blow last week with the revelation that Bryce Harper required a full Tommy John procedure. The Phils announced that Harper was expected to return as a single-bat option for the All-Star Break, while playing the outfield again at some point in the second half.

President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowskileft open the possibility of a return earlier this week, but suggested he didn’t want to project any kind of more optimistic timeline:

In my mind, I’m watching the All-Star break. Anything before that is great.”

The veteran executive downplayed the need for the Phils to add an outfielder in response to the surgery, noting that any changes would lose their way to daily playing time once two-time NL MVP Harper returns.

You can also read: MLB Could Bryce Harper return even sooner than expected in 2023 with Phillies

The DH-only role would force Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos into corner outfield regularly to flank center fielder Brandon Marsh, with Matt Vierling serving as the fourth outfielder. Dombrowski suggested that while the Phils will be “open” to adding on the grass, “it’s not a priority for us.”


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Raphael Martinez

I am a fan of the King of Sports, especially the Boston Red Sox in MLB and in general all of Mexican baseball. This profession has given me the opportunity to cover big events such as the Caribbean Series, LMB All Star, LMP (uninterrupted since 2009), important players’ signatures. I had the chance to attend the 2013 World Classic in Arizona, USA, albeit as an amateur. Apart from this beautiful sport, I love basketball, where I have also narrated games and even an NBA friendly 10 years ago, but baseball is in my veins. Graduated in Communication Sciences from the Autonomous University of Sinaloa (UAS). , from which I graduated in 2011. I was born in Mazatlán, Sinaloa and started in the world of sports journalism in 2004 in the newspaper El Sol de Mazatlán, where I was a baseball columnist and reporter at the same time. In January 2009 I arrived at El Debate as a journalist reporter and it took almost six years (in the first stage), until in November 2014 I emigrated to radio, providing my services at Línea Directa-Grupo RSN. My cycle there ended in July 2019 and a few days later, El Debate gave me another opportunity to work and opened the doors for me again. That is how I came to Al Bat, where I have been since 2019 as a web journalist.

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MLB: Dave Dombrowski reveals whether or not he will hire an outfielder to cover Bryce Harper’s loss