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 the Phillies’ 5-3 loss to the Dodgers in Game 1 on Saturday night at Citizens Bank Park due to groin tightness. He’ll undergo imaging on Sunday morning — an off-day ahead of Game 2 on Monday — to help determine the severity of the injury.
“I definitely feel like I’ll be able to come back, for sure,” Bader said when asked if he believes he’ll play again in the NLDS. “We have an off-day tomorrow, we’ll just get some imaging done and go from there.”
Bader first felt the issue while running from first to second on Bryson Stott’s single in the bottom of the fifth inning. He had previously driven in a run on a sacrifice fly to the warning track in left field in the second inning and made a spectacular diving catch to rob Andy Pages of a hit in the top of the fifth.
Bader remained in the game to play defense in the sixth and seventh innings, but he was lifted for pinch-hitter Nick Castellanos in the bottom of the seventh.
“It just felt a little weird. I don’t know, really, what to attribute it to,” Bader said. “I made a full-speed diving catch in center and obviously felt good all day swinging and everything — took some pretty intense swings up there prior to that. I just think random things happen, unfortunately.”
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.
If Bader were to miss any time, that would leave Brandon Marsh as the only other player on the active roster to start any games in center field this season. Max Kepler played center field for the ninth inning on Saturday night after Marsh was pinch-hit for in the bottom of the eighth, but Kepler has logged only six innings in center over the past three seasons.
“It’s probably Marsh in center,” said manager Rob Thomson, when asked about the club’s options if Bader misses time. “But I trust Kep out there, too.”
That’s where it could become interesting. After all, the reason the Phillies needed Kepler in center for the ninth was because Thomson opted to pinch-hit Edmundo Sosa when the Dodgers brought in left-hander Alex Vesia to face Marsh with the bases loaded, two outs and the Phillies trailing by two in the eighth.
As good as Marsh has been since returning from his early season right hamstring injury — he hit .303 with an .836 OPS from May 3 onwards — he still hit just .197 with a .577 OPS against lefties this season. That’s why he’s mostly found himself restricted to a platoon in left field, especially following the acquisition of Bader.
Without Bader, Marsh would likely have to soak up the center-field reps even against a left-hander, which the Phillies will see in Game 2 when the Dodgers start Blake Snell.
“First things first, I want nothing but the best for ‘Bade,'” Marsh said. “He’s a huge, huge, huge part to this team, and we’re going to need him most definitely. I haven’t heard any word yet, but all I can do is show up and be the best I can be every single day.”
Bader previously missed the final 11 games of the 2023 season with the Reds due to a right groin strain, though he said following Saturday’s game that he’s never had an injury in this exact spot before.
The Phillies will know more on Sunday when they review the test results. Until then, Bader will remain confident that he’ll be able to continue making an impact not just off the field but on it this postseason.
“This is kind of the point in the season where you just empty the tank,” Bader said. “ … In terms of my willingness to just go out there and really empty the tank and give every last ounce of what I’ve got for this team and for the baseball I have ahead of me, that’s absolutely something I’m going to do.
“So if there’s any chance in hell, you better believe I’m going to be in there.”
