2 min read • August 12, 2022
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Phillies left fielder/designated hitter Kyle Schwarber exited Thursday’s ballgame with a “mild” right calf strain and will miss Friday’s series opener against the Mets, according to the team.
No calf strains are “mild” because they typically linger and make it difficult for players to accelerate, according to the Pro Baseball Docs. A 10-day IL stint is a distinct possibility for Schwarber, but he will likely miss a week of games regardless of the team’s IL decision.
Schwarber told reporters Thursday that he has been dealing with the calf issue for a few weeks.
"It's something I've been managing through… It wasn't anything serious,” Schwarber said.” (Thursday) it just got a little bit tighter and tighter and tighter, and I just felt if there was a ball hit into the outfield, I wouldn't be serviceable… good old grind of baseball. It didn't happen on any one play. It didn't pop.”
While the current National League leader in home runs downplayed the calf issue postgame, the Pro Baseball Docs do not think it’s a good sign he’s already been dealing with the calf issue.
Schwarber is hitting .297 with 2 home runs in his last 10 games, but the main issue is accelerating out of the batter’s box and playing the outfield.
He left in the 5th inning of Thursday’s game after he was slow getting out of the box and limped on defense earlier in the game.
Schwarber could serve as the designated hitter once his calf is given roughly a week to heal, but Bryce Harper will need to man that spot when he returns because of the torn UCL in his throwing elbow.
The Pro Baseball Docs initially projected a mid-August return for Harper, but that was a best-case scenario without complications.
He has yet to face live pitching because of lingering stiffness in his thumb.
The Phillies are the hottest team in baseball, going 23-12 since the end of June. They currently sit in the second wild card spot at 62-49, 0.5 games clear of the Padres and 1.5 games ahead of the Brewers.
Philadelphia currently has the 10th best odds to win the World Series at +4000.
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Bryce Harper isn’t ready to face pitching yet because he hasn’t regained as much flexibility in his thumb. Also, #Phillies are cutting back on Harper’s throwing program because of some “stiffness.” Rob Thomson still believes Harper will return this season, “no doubt about it.”
