Raise Eyebrows With Kyle Schwarber News on Thursday
The Phillies will have veteran slugger Kyle Schwarber play at first base, which he hasn’t done since 2021.
The Philadelphia Phillies are back on the diamond on Thursday as they continue Grapefruit League action in Florida. The Phillies are coming off a 9-6 win over the Toronto Blue Jays to move to 2-2 in Spring Training.
On Thursday, the Phillies will face off against the New York Yankees for the first of five meetings in Spring Training. Philadelphia will have a few of its everyday starters in the lineup, including veteran slugger Kyle Schwarber.
Schwarber will hit from the leadoff spot for the Phillies, but he won’t be handling designated hitter duties, which has been his role since joining the team in 2022. Instead, Johan Rojas will be the DH, while Schwarber will play first base, per Jeff Kerr of CBS Sports.
First game Kyle Schwarber will play 1B in a #Phillies uniform today.
According to Matt Gelb of The Athletic, the last time Schwarter played first base was in Game 6 of the 2021 ALCS with the Boston Red Sox. Gelb adds that the veteran has been going through strenuous morning sessions with infield coach Bobby Dickerson.
With it being early in Spring Training, this is the perfect opportunity to get Schwarber some reps at first base to see how he fares from a defensive perspective. Over his 11-year career, he has only played 11 games at first base, including nine starts.
If Schwarber handles first base duties well on Thursday, manager Rob Thomson could change the lineup at various points in the regular season.
