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Philadelphia Phillies Activate Sluggers Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber Off Injured List

First baseman Bryce Harper and designated hitter Kyle Schwarber are returning to the Philadelphia Phillies lineup for their series opener against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday.

Sam Connon

Apr 13, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber (12) celebrates with first base Bryce Harper (3) after hitting a home run during the first inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Citizens Bank Park.
Apr 13, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber (12) celebrates with first base Bryce Harper (3) after hitting a home run during the first inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Citizens Bank Park. / Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
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The Philadelphia Phillies have reinstated first baseman Bryce Harper and designated hitter Kyle Schwarber from the 10-day injured list, the team announced Tuesday afternoon.

Harper has been out with a left hamstring strain since June 28. It turned out to be a low-grade strain, so he only needed to spend the minimum amount of time on the shelf.

Schwarber went down at the same time as Harper, suffering a mild left groin strain against the Miami Marlins on June 27.

In order to make space for the two veteran sluggers on their active roster, the Phillies designated outfielder David Dahl for assignment and optioned infielder Kody Clemens to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Harper suffered through quite the cold streak to open the season, batting .230 with an .805 OPS in March and April, but he had been producing at an elite level again before he got hurt.

Since May 1, Harper is batting .342 with a 1.076 OPS. On the whole this season, he is batting .303 with 20 home runs, 58 RBI, a .981 OPS and a 3.7 WAR, which still ranks fifth in the National League.

Harper is currently on a 12-game hitting streak.

The two-time MVP is set to appear in his eighth career All-Star Game next week, starting at first base for the NL. Harper led all NL players in fan votes during Phase 1 of the selection process.

Schwarber, meanwhile, will not be in Arlington, Texas, as he was crowded out by Shohei Ohtani and Marcell Ozuna.

The 31-year-old is currently batting .250, which is a vast improvement on the .207 mark he put up between 2022 and 2023. He owns an .820 OPS with 17 home runs, 49 RBI and a 1.8 WAR through 79 games.

Schwarber leads the NL with 247 home runs since the start of 2017, with Aaron Judge being the only MLB player to hit more in that time.

Harper and Schwarber are returning just in time for the Phillies' three-game set against the Los Angeles Dodgers, which gets underway on Tuesday. First pitch for the series opener at Citizens Bank Park is set for 6:40 p.m. ET.

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Sam Connon

SAM CONNON

Sam Connon is a Staff Writer for Fastball on the Sports Illustrated/FanNation networks. He previously covered UCLA Athletics for Sports Illustrated/FanNation's All Bruins, 247Sports' Bruin Report Online, Rivals' Bruin Blitz, the Bleav Podcast Network and the Daily Bruin, with his work as a sports columnist receiving awards from the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Connon also wrote for Sports Illustrated/FanNation's New England Patriots site, Patriots Country, and he was on the Patriots and Boston Red Sox beats at Prime Time Sports Talk.

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