July 17, 2025
Eric Hartline/Imagn Images
The Phillies need Bryce Harper and Nick Castellanos to get hot in the second half of the season.
The Phillies will kick off their "second half" on Friday at Citizens Bank Park with a three-game series against the Los Angeles Angels to start a six-game home stand and a streak of 21 consecutive games against American League opponents.
The Phils lead the National League East by a half-game over the Mets and their 55 wins are tied for fourth-most in the NL, but the first half is also memorable for lengthy stints on the Injured List for Aaron Nola and Bryce Harper, an 80-game suspension for José Alvarado, and for some significant free-agent additions that just haven't panned out.
It's shaping up to be a hotly contested race in the second half for both the NL East pennant and for postseason seeding as the Phils try to get back to the World Series. Here are five storylines to watch for the Phils as they come out of the All-Star break:
Would love to know what Bryce Harper was thinking this week while the All-Star Game played on without him. Harper didn't have a terrible first half, but it was far more memorable for his right elbow being drilled by a Spencer Strider fastball that sidelined him for a few games in late May, followed by wrist soreness that shelved him for about three weeks.
Harper's .261/.374/.451 slash line isn't discouraging, but his 10 homers and 35 RBIs in 250 at-bats project to about 24 homers and 83 RBIs across 600 at-bats, which is too low for him. Harper has the ability – and track record – of getting scorching hot, especially in August, which is typically the best month of his seasons (.303/.396/.559 career August slash line). They need August Harper to start in late July.
The veteran right-hander just wasn't himself for the first month-and-a-half, and then an ankle injury somehow turned into a stress fracture in his ribs, which has kept Nola sidelined since April 14, sitting on a 1-7 record and 6.16 ERA. That's just not who Nola is, and there's reason to be optimistic that his return, hopefully sooner rather than later, will only add to what's been MLB's best starting rotation.
Assuming he's back to his normal self, Nola's comeback should signal the end of Taijuan Walker in the rotation and also allow the Phillies to move a starter into the bullpen at some point in the playoffs when the team goes to a four-man rotation.
This is a "go big or go home" trade deadline for Dave Dombrowski, president of baseball operations. If he doesn't swing for the fences, it's hard to see the Phillies getting back to the World Series. This can't be a ho-hum deadline that brings in Austin Hays-caliber talent. The Phillies need an overpowering right-handed reliever and probably another lefty for the pen. They also need an imposing bat who can play outfield, preferably right-handed.
Dombrowski has plenty of trade assets and can't be skittish about moving any of them to land a major piece – or pieces – who can help the Phillies make a deep postseason run. Also, any prospect who isn't dealt could easily get called up and help the Phillies for the postseason push, which would be good to see. One way or another, guys like Justin Crawford and Andrew Painter should be helping the club get better.
As our Evan Macy recently pointed out, the Phillies are behind their home-run pace from last season, and Kyle Schwarber is the only Phillie above his typical season pace for homers. Sure, the Phillies have worked harder to become a more balanced offense that can win via small ball, but they can't be the 18th-ranked team for homers, which is where they are now.
The Blue Jays are the only current MLB division leader with fewer homers (101) than the Phillies (102). At least one of Nick Castellanos, Alec Bohm, Trea Turner and any bat acquired at the deadline needs to get on a power trip for this team to make a serious postseason run.
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani has normalized a designated hitter's ability to win MVP, so why can't Kyle Schwarber do it in 2025? The Phils slugger, fresh off becoming the first Phillies player since 1964 to win All-Star Game MVP, comes out of the break with 30 homers, just two behind Ohtani and one behind Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suárez. Schwarber also has 69 RBIs, tied for the fifth most in the NL.
Schwarber, who's slated to be a free agent in the offseason, has a real shot to win MVP if he can keep up his current pace. His .247 batting average could be a deterrent, but he's top-six in the NL in on-base percentage (.378) and slugging percentage (.545). He should be in the race down the wire.
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