Harper to play 1B exclusively, likely ends Hoskins' Phillies tenure

Bryce Harper is putting away his outfielder's glove for good.

The two-time MVP will now be the Philadelphia Phillies' everyday first baseman, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski revealed Wednesday, according to Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post.

"He's happy to do whatever we wanted him to do," Dombrowski said, according to Todd Zolecki of MLB.com. "He said he'd play first or the outfield. He feels great. But the more we talked about it internally, we liked the idea of playing him at first."

Harper made the move to the infield this year after completing his rehab from Tommy John surgery. He played only one-third of an inning at first base prior to this season.

While the majority of his appearances in 2023 were as a designated hitter, Harper took over as the Phillies' regular first baseman down the stretch and acclimatized to the position. The 31-year-old made only one error in 303 innings at first and tallied one defensive run saved.

Harper played 1,258 games as an outfielder during his first 11 seasons, with the majority (947) coming in right field. He totaled eight DRS and minus-30 outs above average over his time in the outfield.

His elbow injury forced him to become a strict DH in 2022 and for the first half of 2023.

With Harper back on the field full time, slugger Kyle Schwarber will become the Phillies' primary DH in 2024. Schwarber split his time between DH and left field almost evenly in 2023 but rated as the worst defensive outfielder in the majors.

The domino effect means that longtime Phillies first baseman Rhys Hoskins' time in Philadelphia has likely come to an end. Hoskins, who missed the entire 2023 season after tearing his ACL in spring training and is now a free agent, was essentially squeezed out of the team's lineup. The Phillies had moved him to first base in 2019 due to subpar outfield defense.

Dombrowski said he informed Hoskins, a fan favorite who hit 148 home runs over six seasons with the Phillies, of the decision Sunday.

"We think the world of Rhys and (his wife) Jayme. They are wonderful people who have done so much for the community," Dombrowski said, per Alex Coffey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. "I don't want to 100% close any doors, but I'd say that's the situation. He understood. If he's not back with us, we wish him nothing but the best."