Phillies’ Dave Dombrowski Questions if Bryce Harper Can Return to ‘Elite’ Form

Philadelphia Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski questioned whether star Bryce Harper can ever return to an “elite” form during comments made at an end-of-season press conference on Thursday, per ESPN News Services.

“He’s still a quality player. He’s still an All-Star caliber player,” Dombrowski said. “He didn’t have an elite season like he’s had in the past. I guess we only find out if he becomes elite or he continues to be good.”

“Can he rise to the next level again? I don’t really know that answer. He’s the one that will dictate that more than anything else. I don’t think he’s content with the year that he had. Again, it wasn’t a bad year. But when I think of Bryce Harper, you think elite, you think of one of the top-10 players in baseball and I don’t think it fit into that category.”

The 33-year-old Harper has played 14 seasons for the Washington Nationals and Phillies. His accolades include two National League MVP awards, eight All-Star Games and four Silver Sluggers. For his career, Harper has hit .280 (.905 OPS) with a per-162 game average of 33 home runs and 95 RBI.

Harper has certainly remained productive even as he plays in the middle of his second MLB decade. In 2025, the Las Vegas native hit .261 (.844 OPS) with 27 home runs and 75 RBI in 132 games. However, that .844 OPS mark was his lowest since 2016. In addition, the .261 average was his lowest since 2019. Harper also had a tough postseason, hitting just .200 (3-for-15) with no RBI.

Harper signed a 13-year, $330 million contract with the Phillies in March 2019. Philadelphia missed the playoffs in his first three seasons but fared much better in the last four, making the postseason each time. That includes the 2022 National League pennant, a 2023 NLCS appearance and back-to-back NL East titles in 2024 and 2025.

Harper has played a big role in all of that success. A World Series title has not transpired, but it’s clear how much he’s helped Philadelphia, which missed the playoffs from 2012-2021, rise to its current level.

Perhaps Harper never rises back to his elite form, ultimately, but he’s still quite good in his own right.

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