Browsing: Harper

Oct 25, 2025, 03:41 PM ET

Philadelphia Phillies superstar Bryce Harper said he was “hurt” by Dave Dombrowski’s apparent questioning of whether the two-time National League MVP could return to an elite status after a down year.

The Phillies’ president of baseball operations called Harper “a quality player” in his end-of-season news conference but noted that he didn’t have an elite season and questioned whether Harper “becomes elite or he continues to be good.” The comments sparked speculation that the Phillies might be looking to move on from the superstar, who has six years left on his $330 million deal, as well as a no-trade clause.

“I have given my all to Philly from the start,” Harper told The Athletic on Saturday. “Now there is trade talk? I made every effort to avoid this. It’s all I heard in D.C. [with the Nationals]. I hated it. It makes me feel uncomfortable.”

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Harper, 33, is coming off a season in which his OPS (.844) was its lowest since 2016. Against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL Division Series, Harper was just 3-for-15 with no RBIs in the four-game loss. He also missed a month of the season with a wrist injury.

“It’s disappointing to hear me being questioned about my contribution to the team,” Harper told The Athletic. “Just really hurt by that notion because I love Philly so much.

“From changing positions to coming back early from injury, I show total commitment for my team. And yet there is still trade talk.”

Dombrowski has denied the Phillies would want to trade Harper and downplayed his comments from earlier this month.

“That couldn’t be further from the truth,” Dombrowski said earlier this week on “Foul Territory” when asked about the Harper trade rumors. “We love him. We think he’s a great player. He’s a very important part of our team. I’ve seen him have better years. I look for him to have better years.”

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Harper answered questions in the corner of the visitor’s clubhouse last week at Dodger Stadium following the Phillies†stunning loss to the Dodgers in Game 4 of the NL Division Series, discussing his teamâ€s latest postseason failures before he turned his attention to 2026.

“I want to hold that trophy,†Harper said. “Thatâ€s the goal every single time you get into Spring Training. … I know, on a personal level, Iâ€m going to work my butt off this offseason again and get ready for next year and obviously, hopefully, take another swing at it and see what we can do.â€

But what version of Harper will the Phillies get? Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski wondered on Thursday at Citizens Bank Park.

“Heâ€s still a quality player,†said Dombrowski. “Heâ€s still an All-Star-caliber player. He didnâ€t have an elite season like he has had in the past. And I guess we only find out if he becomes elite or he continues to be good. If you look around the league, I think … Freddie Freeman: Heâ€s a really good player, right? He still is a good player. Is he elite like he was before? Probably not to the same extent. Freddie is a tremendous player, and that, to me, is Bryce. Can he rise to the next level again? I donâ€t really know that answer. Heâ€s the one that will dictate that more than anything else.

“I donâ€t think heâ€s content with the year that he had. And again, it wasnâ€t a bad year. But when you think of Bryce Harper, you think of elite, right? You think of one of the top 10 players in baseball, and I donâ€t think it fit into that category. But again, a very good player. Iâ€ve seen guys at his age — again, heâ€s not old — that level off. Or Iâ€ve seen guys rise again.â€

It sounded like a challenge in many regards. Maybe it was.

Harper, who turned 33 on Thursday, batted .261 with 27 homers, 75 RBIs and an .844 OPS this year. It was his lowest OPS since 2016 (.814) and his lowest OPS+ (129) since 2019 (126).

But Harperâ€s .844 OPS still ranked 22nd out of 145 qualified players in baseball. His expected metrics were mostly better than 2024, when he batted .285 with 30 homers, 87 RBIs and an .898 OPS.

Harper saw pitches in the zone only 43 percent of time, the fewest out of 532 players (minimum 200 pitches).

The MLB average is 50.7 percent.

Itâ€s nothing new. Harper has the seventh-lowest zone rate (42.1 percent) out of 772 hitters to see at least 5,000 pitches in the pitch-tracking era (since 2008). Only Vladimir Guerrero Sr., Pablo Sandoval, Prince Fielder, Josh Hamilton, David Ortiz and Ryan Howard have seen fewer.

Now, Harperâ€s chase rate (35.6 percent) was just a tick below his career-worst rate in 2022 (35.7 percent). It was 33.4 percent in each of the previous two seasons.

Perhaps he can make an adjustment there.

Regardless, Harper is headed to the Hall of Fame one day, whether he is “elite†again or just “very good†like Freeman. But Harper would love nothing more than to have “World Series champion†engraved on his bronze plaque.

He wants to finish his career with the Phillies, too. Next year will be the eighth of a 13-year, $330 million contract. Harperâ€s agent Scott Boras and the Phillies have discussed a contract extension in recent years. It was believed it would happen eventually. Who knows where that stands today?

“I think heâ€s highly motivated to have the best season of his career next year,†Phillies manager Rob Thomson said Thursday. “Thatâ€s what the plan is going to be for him. He played in 132 games, and he hit 27 home runs. Itâ€s pretty good. You add on another 30 games or 25 games or whatever, the numbers look pretty good. Yeah, I mean, it was down a little bit, but over an .840 OPS or something like that, yeah, thatâ€s pretty good.â€

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Oct 16, 2025, 05:21 PM ET

PHILADELPHIA — Bryce Harper turned 33 on Thursday, and the celebration for the new father of four might not stretch very far inside the Philadelphia Phillies’ front office.

After a season in which Harper’s .844 OPS was his lowest since 2016 and his .261 average was his worst since 2019, Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski analyzed whether Harper — a two-time National League MVP — can return to form as one of baseball’s best players with six years left on his 13-year, $330 million deal.

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“He’s still a quality player. He’s still an All-Star-caliber player,” Dombrowski said Thursday as he broke down the season. “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.”

Just good?

That has to sting for a player such as Harper, who helped carry the Phillies out of baseball irrelevance and into the playoffs for the first time in 11 years in 2022. Yes, Harper missed a month of the season as he recovered from a wrist injury, but the numbers showed a dip in production.

Against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL Division Series, Harper was just 3-for-15 with no RBI in the four-game loss.

“Can he rise to the next level again? I don’t really know that answer,” Dombrowski said. “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.”

Phillies manager Rob Thomson said Harper, who made a Gold Glove-caliber move from right field to first base and made the fastest return to the majors after Tommy John surgery of any player in big league history, might not have had the kind of success he was accustomed to over his 14-year career.

It just didn’t mean Harper’s best years were behind him.

“I think he’s highly motivated to have the best season of his career next year,” Thomson said.

Harper will certainly return next season as the Phillies try to figure out how to snap out of a four-year postseason malaise. While Dombrowski faces crucial decisions about a roster with several key free agents, he’s not necessarily feeling the heat to shake up the team.

“Need to be more change? We won 96 games,” Dombrowski said.

The Phillies’ hitting woes each October could be settled if Harper can rediscover that sweet left-handed stroke that once made him one of baseball’s most feared hitters.

“What I’d like to see is just him be himself, try not to do too much,” Thomson said. “Really focus on hitting the ball the other way. When he stays on the ball, he is such a great hitter. I think he just gets in the mindset that he tries to do a little too much because he knows that he’s Bryce Harper.”

Dombrowski said the Phillies will likely work on a one-year extension beyond the 2026 season for Thomson, who has one year left on his deal.

The entire coaching staff — including embattled hitting coach Kevin Long — will return, though the Phillies are looking for a new bench coach. Mike Calitri will become a major league field coordinator, and the Phillies would like to add someone with managerial experience to replace him.

The Phillies have increased their win total each of the past four years (87-90-95-96) while their postseason runs have gotten worse: losing in the 2022 World Series, the 2023 NLCS and consecutive series losses in the NLDS.

Dombrowski said the organization needed to “keep it in perspective” that the Phillies lost to a Dodgers team that could be steamrolling toward a second straight World Series title.

“I don’t think you just break up clubs,” because they lose again in the playoffs, Dombrowski said.

NL home run and RBI champion Kyle Schwarber, veteran catcher J.T. Realmuto and rotation stalwart Ranger Suarez are free agents. Outfielder Harrison Bader, who raised his value with a dynamite two months with the Phillies, has a mutual option he is sure to decline.

“We love to have them all,” Dombrowski said. “It’s probably impractical we’re going to have all four of them back.”

The Phillies hold a $9 million club option or a $500,000 buyout on left-handed reliever Jose Alvarado, whose season was interrupted because of an 80-game suspension for violating baseball’s performance-enhancing drugs policy. Dombrowski said the Phillies could decline the option and work out a new deal with Alvarado.

“I’d be surprised, without making any announcements, that Alvarado’s not back with us,” Dombrowski said.

Dombrowski said Zack Wheeler could be ready to return to the major leagues after May, following surgery and complications from a blood clot. Wheeler, the Phillies’ ace, is set to begin his rehabilitation next week. Wheeler, 35, went 10-5 with a 2.71 ERA and led the majors with 195 strikeouts when he was sidelined in August.

No matter how the roster looks in 2026, how do the Phillies — with owner John Middleton supporting a $291.7 million payroll — snap out of the same October pattern of frigid bats from their highest-priced players that doomed them again against the Dodgers?

“We have a very substantial big league payroll, and I don’t see that that’s going to change,” Dombrowski said. “John is very supportive of that. We have a good club with a lot of good players. But you don’t have unlimited [funds]. I read some places where how they get better is they sign this guy, they sign that guy. I don’t think we’re going to have a $400 million payroll. I just don’t think that’s a practicality.”

The Phillies will also need to figure out what to do with right fielder Nick Castellanos, who has one year left on the five-year, $100 million deal signed ahead of the 2022 season. He seemed unhappy and cited personal issues with Thomson after losing his starting job late in the season.

Dombrowski said he became involved and settled the issue. There was no firm commitment that Castellanos would return.

Outfielder Max Kepler will not return after he hit just .216 in his lone season on a one-year, $10 million deal. Reliever David Robertson also will not return.

Meanwhile, the team continues to support Orion Kerkering, who made a wild throw past home instead of tossing to first that decided Game 4 and the series. The only highlight replayed as much in Philadelphia as Kerkering’s errant decision was the sight of Thomson and many of his teammates consoling him in the dugout.

“He will get whatever assistance, and we will offer him whatever assistance that he needs,” Dombrowski said. “We’ll continue to work with him to try and get him through that. I think he can do that, but I also know it’s a challenge for him and we’ll keep in contact with him on a continued basis.”

Reliever Matt Strahm raised some eyebrows after the Phillies were eliminated on Kerkering’s error when he said there wasn’t routine pitchers’ fielding practice.

“The only thing I can think of is, if you don’t routinely practice it, how do you expect to make it happen every time? As an older guy in the bullpen, I guess I should have taken it upon myself to make sure we’re doing our [pitchers’ fielding practice],” Strahm told The Athletic.

Dombrowski, however, took issue with Strahm’s assessment.

“We did plenty. Actually, as it turns out, we did do PFPs in the postseason. [Strahm] didn’t do them. But we did them,” he said.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.

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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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  Michael C. WrightOct 11, 2025, 12:21 AM ET

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  • Joined ESPN in 2010
  • Previously covered Bears for ESPN.com
  • Played college football at West Texas A&M

SAN ANTONIO — Count No. 2 pick Dylan Harper as the latest to learn the lesson that it’s nearly impossible to throw Victor Wembanyama a lob he can’t reach.

Making his preseason debut for the San Antonio Spurs, Harper lofted an alley-oop to Wembanyama for a two-handed jam with 44.3 seconds left in the first half Friday of San Antonio’s 134-130 victory over the Utah Jazz. Harper nodded and pointed to Wembanyama, acknowledging he might’ve made the play more difficult than necessary.

“I’m going to throw it a little higher,” Harper said to a smiling Wembanyama as the teammates smacked hands while walking back.

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Harper’s lob to Wembanyama represented just one minor flaw in what appeared to be a near-flawless performance for the rookie in the first half. He registered a game-best plus-minus of 22 over 12½ minutes, shooting 4 of 5 for nine points with two assists. Harper tacked on an additional dime in the third quarter before checking out for good with 6:23 remaining due to a minutes restriction.

Harper played 18 minutes and finished with a plus-minus of 20.

“It’s just another step for him and his young career as he’s going to continue to grow,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. “Obviously, he made some plays, which hopefully he’ll feel good about. But just to be able to do it in front of fans and in the bright lights, whether it was the plays that people will talk about when he scored, made a shot, or made a good pass. Just to be able to go through team defense and run the floor, it is just invaluable experience.”

Harper said earlier in the day at shootaround that he’d feel first-game jitters in his preseason debut. But he shook them off quickly. Harper flicked alley-oops to Wembanyama and Luke Kornet for his first two assists. Harper was active on defense, too, defending players full court throughout most of his minutes.

“It is good to be on the court with him,” Wembanyama said. “He looks ready, very comfortable already throwing these kinds of passes. So, I’m very confident and I’m very happy to be able to spend some time on the court with him.”

Harper scored his first bucket 10 seconds after checking into the action with 6:12 left in the opening quarter after running past his defender on a cut to the basket for a layup off an assist from Harrison Barnes. Harper zipped by former Rutgers teammate and No. 5 pick Ace Bailey for his next basket.

“Just being back out on the court with them guys, just getting the chemistry going before the season starts, it just felt good to play again,” Harper said. “My teammates do a great job of empowering me, and they’re going to let me know what I do wrong. But ultimately, they’re here to help me out and I’m here to help them out. Just having that confidence behind me is very helpful.”

Harper sat out the Spurs’ first two preseason games as a precautionary measure after undergoing surgery in September to repair a partially torn collateral ligament in his left thumb. Wearing a splint on the injured thumb, Harper participated in many of the club’s training camp workouts.

But Spurs officials wanted to limit the 19-year-old’s exposure to contact.

Harper emerged from his first preseason action unscathed physically, but admitted he must “flip [my] brain” in gauging how to accurately hit his new 7-foot-4 teammate on alley-oop passes.

“I should’ve [thrown] higher, a lot higher,” Harper said. “It’s weird. Ain’t no one ever played with someone that tall. You get out there. You throw it up and you think you threw it too high. But then he catches it and you’re like, ‘It’s a little too low.’ So, [it’s] just little things like that. Just throw where no one else can get it but him.”

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  André SnellingsOct 9, 2025, 12:00 PM ET

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  Dr. André Snellings is a senior writer for men’s and women’s fantasy basketball and sports betting at ESPN. André has a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering from Michigan. He joined ESPN in 2017 after a 16-year career as a neural engineer, during which time he was also a writer and analyst for Rotowire.

The most difficult players to project before an NBA season are the rookies, because so much is based upon how prepared they are for the speed, power and explosiveness of the NBA game. There is no other league in the world that can truly compare with what the young players will face when they make it to the league with Jerry West’s silhouette on the logo.

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Some players are more ready to make an impact right away, while others may never catch up with the NBA game. Then there are the players that just need time, and either during their rookie season or perhaps in the offseason after, the switch flips and they find that they’re ready to ball. As you prepare for your fantasy basketball drafts, it will be up to you to identify which players fit into which category and pick accordingly.

That’s where I come in.

Even as the playoffs were still going, I was already deep into NBA draft research with an eye on how their skills might fit on the teams that could draft them. Then I went out to the desert and scouted the Las Vegas Summer League to watch the top prospects in person. I wanted to see how they moved, what their energy looked like and whether they seemed to have that extra bit of dog in them that will help them transition to the NBA.

Let’s take a look at the top-10 rookies and when you should consider taking them in your fantasy basketball drafts.

Must draft early

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Cooper Flagg, SF/PF, Dallas Mavericks: Flagg has been touted for years as a future NBA superstar, and the outlook for his rookie season is more similar to the last historically touted rookie, Victor Wembanyama two seasons ago, than any of the rookies in last season’s class. Flagg led his college team, the Duke Blue Devils, in points, rebounds, assists, blocks and steals per game. He showed me in the Las Vegas Summer League that he had the size, strength and mindset to have an immediate impact at the NBA level.

The Mavericks have a roster strong enough to compete for the playoffs but a distinct hole in the perimeter offense with Kyrie Irving (ACL) sidelined for at least the first half of the season. As such, the door is open for Flagg to be the primary offensive threat from the wing for the Mavs from the start. I have him projected firmly in my preseason fantasy hoops top 50, and conservatively expect him to be drafted in the first four rounds.

Want to test out different approaches? Try out the ESPN Mock Draft Lobby.

Mid-to-late rounds

Outside of Flagg, there are several other rookies with the talent to produce fantasy-worthy numbers if things work out. But they aren’t necessarily guaranteed to do so from the opening tip, or even in the opening months of the season. Let’s talk about some of the ones with the best opportunity to produce in a timely enough fashion to be worthy of being drafted in fantasy hoops leagues.

Ace Bailey, SF/PF, Utah Jazz: He was considered one of the three most talented and NBA-ready players in the class, along with Flagg and Bailey’s college teammate Dylan Harper. But while Harper was drafted to a San Antonio Spurs team with plenty of quality depth at his position, Bailey was drafted to become the offensive centerpiece for a rebuilding Jazz squad. Bailey has a legitimate chance to be the team’s leading scorer as a rookie, and is the most likely rookie outside of Flagg to produce impact fantasy hoops numbers from the start.

Dylan Harper, PG/SG, San Antonio Spurs: Outside of Flagg, Harper was the most impressive rookie I saw play at the Las Vegas Summer League. His skill set, size and athleticism popped and I gave him the credit to favorably compare his game to that of rookie Brandon Roy — arguably the most impressive rookie guard performance I’ve seen in two decades of scouting the Summer League. If Harper had been drafted to a team that needed to utilize him to the fullest, he would likely be draftable in at least the middle rounds.

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Instead, the Spurs feature All-Star point guard De’Aaron Fox, along with reigning Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle and young veterans Devin Vassell and Keldon Johnson on the wings. The Spurs have made it clear Harper is a key part of their future, but it is hard to see where he will have a fantasy-worthy impact right away. Harper could grow into it during the season, and his talent and upside are such that he could be worth stashing on a fantasy hoops bench even if he’s not able to put up big numbers right away.

Egor Demin, PG, Brooklyn Nets: Demin is the most likely to produce right away among the five first-round picks the Nets had in this year’s draft. Demin is a big point guard who fits well in the starting backcourt next to undersized scorer Cam Thomas. Demin has been dealing with plantar fascia issues that could slow him at the start of the season, but once healthy Demin could be the type of all-category producer that has value in both points and category leagues.

VJ Edgecombe, SG, Philadelphia 76ers: The Baylor product currently projects as a starting wing on the 76ers, particularly while Jared McCain is out. Edgecombe possesses explosive leaping ability and quickness on the wing, which helps him to be a finisher in the lane and on the fast break as well as helping defensively. He is an excellent defender that could contribute in steals and even blocks, a nice bonus for a guard. Edgecombe’s projected role doesn’t scream big numbers, as he’s not a long-range shooter, but he has talent, opportunity and upside, which could be worth a late-round flyer in fantasy hoops drafts.

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Deeper leagues and free agents

Tre Johnson, SG, Washington Wizards: Johnson could be one of the best 3-point shooters in this year’s class because he can shoot with both volume and accuracy off both the spot-up and the dribble. Johnson’s ability to create his own shot is a boon for a rebuilding Wizards squad that doesn’t have much perimeter talent. He could be worth a late-round flyer in fantasy hoops leagues because, if he can reach his upside as an upper-teens scorer with potentially the most 3-pointers in the rookie class, he could end up developing into a flex starter before the season ends.

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Kon Knueppel, SG, Charlotte Hornets: Knueppel also has a case as the best shooter in this draft class, but he is known more for his spot-up shooting than his ability to create. There is fantasy value in being a knock-down 3-point shooter playing off of talented creator/scorer types. With LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller and Collin Sexton doing more creating and scoring, and thus drawing more defensive attention, Knueppel could get more open shots against defenses not keyed on him. It isn’t clear whether Knueppel will generate the volume to be of value in points leagues, but his ability to put up large numbers of 3-pointers could make him worthy of roster consideration in category leagues.

Jeremiah Fears, PG/SG, New Orleans Pelicans: The former Sooner is a (excuse the pun) fearless shooter/scorer on the wing, and he could end up getting more minutes for the Pelicans early in the season because Dejounte Murray is sidelined until the New Year. Fears still projects as a sixth man at best, so it isn’t clear he’ll post fantasy-worthy numbers, but he is worth keeping an eye on as a free agent with upside.

Khaman Maluach, C, Phoenix Suns: Maluach was drafted as a defensive role player in the middle for the Suns. He will likely come off the bench to begin the season, but keep in mind that he’s backing up Mark Williams. Williams has missed 140 of 246 possible games in his career, never playing more than 44 games in any of his three NBA seasons. If Maluach ends up getting starter’s minutes, his shot blocking could be of interest in category leagues.

Nique Clifford, SG, Sacramento Kings: Clifford deserves a mention here. He’s an older rookie at 23 years old, and after an impressive fifth season in college he turned in a dominant performance at the Las Vegas Summer League. He is set to back up DeMar DeRozan, so presumably he wouldn’t get enough minutes early on, but he’s another free agent I’ll have my eye on once the season begins.

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LOS ANGELES — The loud booing by angry Philadelphia Phillies fans at their home ballpark likely drowned out similar noise Bryce Harper was making.

The Phillies slugger has a single and three strikeouts in the NL Division Series, which Philadelphia trails 2-0 against the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.

“I love our fans. I boo myself when I get out,” Harper said Tuesday.

Game 3 is Wednesday at Dodger Stadium, with the Phillies facing elimination in the best-of-five series.

“I will probably get booed tomorrow night, too,” Harper said.

He didn’t agree that a change of venue — away from their frustrated fan base — is a good thing for the slumping Phillies.

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“We’ve got some of the best fans in baseball and they make me play better, so I enjoy it,” Harper said. “They show up for us every day. They spend their hard-earned dollar to come watch us play; they expect greatness out of us and I expect greatness out of myself and my teammates as well.”

Third baseman Nick Castellanos came up big in a wild ninth inning that nearly saw the Phillies steal a win Monday. The fan reaction whipsawed between huge cheers and deafening boos in the 4-3 loss.

“I think that the stadium is alive on both sides, right?” Castellanos said. “When the game is going good, it’s wind at our back, but when the game is not going good, it’s wind in our face. The environment can be with us, and the environment can be against us.”

Harper was glad to be in sunny Los Angeles, not far from his hometown of Las Vegas where he was a Dodgers fan.

He became a father for the fourth time last week, when his wife, Kayla, gave birth to a son.

“I’ve got an incredible wife, man. She pushed that thing out in three pushes and 30 seconds,” Harper said. “She’s an absolute monster doing it. Women. Man, what a breed. I’m serious, it’s an incredible thing. Being able to hold your son for the first time is something. It’s one of the greatest moments of my life.”

The couple now has two boys, Krew and Hayes, and two girls, Brooklyn and Kamryn, all of whom are age 6 and under.

Harper said he loves baseball but his family means the most.

“I definitely miss them right now,” he said.

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Boos poured onto the diamond Monday in Philadelphia. The Phillies, who had lost four of their past five home playoff games dating to the 2023 postseason, were entering the ninth inning with a 4-1 deficit to the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 2 of the NLDS.

Closer Jhoan Durán was heading to the mound without a chance for a save for the second time in three days in front of a sea of red normally enthralled by his theatrical light-show entrance.

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Although the Phillies rallied in the bottom half of the frame, their comeback bid fell one run short, and they fell into an 0-2 hole against the Dodgers, with an elimination game in California looming.

When asked Tuesday about the boos and if the the Philly crowd can work against the home team, star first baseman and two-time NL MVP Bryce Harper pushed back against that narrative.

“I don’t feel that way. I love playing in the Bank,” he said.

“I love our fans. I boo myself when I get out. I’m the same way. And I trust in what they do. They show up for us every day, day in and day out. So if we deserve to be booed or if we deserve to — you know, they spend their hard-earned dollar to come watch us play. They expect greatness out of us. I expect greatness out of myself and my teammates as well. … We got some of the best fans in baseball. I don’t know. They make me play better. So I enjoy it.”

Harper is part of a struggling top three that normally fuels the Phillies’ offense. Shortstop Trea Turner, the NL batting champion, Kyle Schwarber, who smashed 56 home runs this year, and Harper are a combined 2-for-21 with 11 strikeouts and four walks in two games of the division series.

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Typically at his best with the Phillies in October, Harper’s heroics have been missing this time around, including in the sixth inning Monday, when he whiffed at Blake Snell sliders outside the zone.

Harper is well aware of the expectations facing his NL East-champion Phillies, who had the best record at home during the regular season.

The question Harper fielded Tuesday followed comments from his teammate, right fielder Nick Castellanos, who breathed life into the stadium with a two-RBI double that made it a 4-3 game with no outs in the bottom of the ninth before he was tagged out at third on a subsequent bunt attempt by second baseman Bryson Stott.

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Manager Rob Thomson’s bunt call was scrutinized afterward, and so was Castellanos’ baserunning.

“The stadium is alive on both sides, right?†Castellanos said postgame. “When the game is going good, itâ€s wind at our back. But when the game is not going good, itâ€s wind in our face. The environment can be with us, and the environment can be against us.”

Philadelphia has now dropped five of its past six home playoff games. The days of its 2022 run to the World Series, during which the Philly home crowd felt like a distinct advantage, seem far away.

The Phillies now have to win two games in L.A. to keep their season alive and have a chance to return home for a decisive Game 5 and win back their passionate fans.

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• Associated Press

Oct 4, 2025, 06:11 PM ET

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PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia Phillies slugger Bryce Harper added to his family lineup when he and his wife, Kayla, welcomed the birth of their fourth child days ahead of Saturday’s playoff opener.

The Harpers shared a joint Instagram post Saturday announcing their fourth child, Hayes Three Harper. The Harpers said their son was born Thursday.

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A post shared by Kayla Harper (@kayy.harper)

“Decided to add more chaos to Red October,” the Harpers captioned the photo.

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A two-time NL MVP, Harper wears No. 3 for the Phillies. He was in the lineup for the Phillies on Saturday for Game 1 of the NL Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Harper used a blue bat as part of a gender reveal during a game in April. Harper had ordered two custom-made bats from Victus Sports — one of the bat manufacturers that produced the torpedo bat — in pink for a girl and blue for a boy.

The Harpers already have three young children: a son named named Krew and two daughters, Brooklyn and Kamryn.

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