October 5: Thomson stated this morning that Bader’s MRI confirmed no main tear or pressure, as relayed by Varnes. He’ll proceed receiving remedy and the crew will know extra about his availability for Recreation 2 tomorrow, however MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki notes that Thomson stated Bader is feeling higher after receiving remedy final evening.
October 4: The Phillies pulled outfielder Harrison Bader from Recreation 1 of the NLDS in opposition to the Dodgers tonight as a consequence of what was at first described by the crew has hamstring tightness, however supervisor Rob Thomson later relayed to reporters (together with Charlotte Varnes of The Athletic) that the difficulty was really groin tightness. Bader himself later spoke to reporters (together with Tim Kelly of On Pattison) and revealed that he could be present process imaging to find out the extent of his damage.
Whereas the scenario might sound regarding, Bader is taken into account day-to-day in the intervening time and expressed confidence that he’ll return to the Phillies’ lineup throughout this sequence. He famous that he’ll relaxation throughout tomorrow’s day without work and “go from there,” including that taking part in within the postseason is the time the place you “empty the tank,” suggesting a willingness to attempt to play by an damage that may in any other case sit him down at one other level within the season. That’s certainly encouraging for Phillies followers to listen to given Bader’s emergence as a key piece of the crew in current weeks.
Acquired from the Twins on the commerce deadline again in July, Bader had already been having fun with a stable season with the Twins however kicked issues as much as one other gear when he arrived in Philadephia. In 50 video games with the Phillies, Bader has hit .305/.361/.463 with 5 dwelling runs, eleven doubles, and a triple in 194 journeys to the plate whereas serving because the crew’s common heart fielder. He’s carried out his half defensively as properly, with +1 Fielding Run Worth in heart this yr regardless of taking part in the outfield corners completely in Minnesota. Bader has lengthy been a well-regarded heart fielder within the majors, however was pushed right into a nook with the Twins because of the presence of a wholesome Byron Buxton within the membership’s lineup.
The addition of Bader on the deadline helped to stabilize the Phillies on each side of the ball. Nick Castellanos struggled badly this yr, with below-average offensive numbers that paired along with his typical lackluster glove within the outfield to make him a beneath substitute degree participant. Max Kepler and Johan Rojas had disappointing seasons of their very own as properly, leaving Bader to step up alongside Brandon Marsh to assist create some extra manufacturing for the Phillies on each offensively and defensively. Few deadline additions have been extra impactful for his or her membership down the stretch, and it might be devastating for the membership to go with out Bader throughout a tricky matchup in opposition to the Dodgers this week, particularly after dropping sport 1 of the sequence at dwelling earlier this night.
If Bader have been to overlook Recreation 2 on Monday, an outfield that includes Marsh in heart flanked by Kepler in left and Castellanos in proper looks like the almost definitely end result, although Weston Wilson can also be on the roster as a possible right-handed complement to Kepler. In a worst-case situation the place Bader wanted to be pulled from the membership’s NLDS roster completely, the Phillies would have the choice to position him on the injured listing and change him on the roster. Doing so would imply that Bader would miss the complete NLCS, nonetheless, and solely be eligible to return this yr if the Phillies made all of it the best way to the World Collection. Evidently, that’s a scenario the Phillies will certainly be hoping to keep away from.
