PHILADELPHIA — Harrison Bader has been a sparkplug both on and off the field since arriving in Philadelphia just a little more than two months ago.
Now, his status for the remainder of the National League Division Series is suddenly up in the air.
Bader departed Game 1 on Saturday night at Citizens Bank Park due to a left hamstring strain. It wasn’t immediately clear when he sustained the injury — or how serious it may be — before being pinch-hit for by Nick Castellanos in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Bader was hit by a pitch in the bottom of the fifth inning — a glancing blow off his right arm — then advanced to second on a Bryson Stott single. He was stranded at second to end the frame, then played center field in both the sixth and seventh innings.
The only play Bader was involved in during that time came in the seventh, when he tracked Teoscar Hernández’s go-ahead three-run homer to the wall before stopping at the warning track as the ball sailed into the right-center-field seats.
Acquired from the Twins at the July 31 Trade Deadline, Bader slashed .305/.361/.463 in 50 games for the Phillies down the stretch. He performed well enough to secure the everyday job in center field, a position where the Phils had struggled to find stability in recent seasons.
Bader has also put on a show defensively, including in the fifth inning of Game 1 when he made a diving catch to rob Andy Pages of a hit.
Further updates on Bader’s status are expected postgame.
