Is Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber finally back?
It has certainly been a rough stretch for Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber, who, before bashing two home runs in the Field of Dreams game against the Minnesota Twins on Thursday, had homered just twice since July 19 — with both of those long balls coming in one contest on Aug. 9.
But perhaps Schwarber — who has been battling a back ailment for quite some time — is finally back, and at a perfect time?
Schwarber has had hits in seven of his last eight games, including four multi-hit performances during that span. His OPS is up to .962 for the month of August, and he is starting to look a heck of a lot more like the big bopper who bashed 45-plus homers in three of the last four seasons.
Is the 33-year-old completely recovered yet? Maybe not, but he is still exhibiting some very positive signs for a Phillies squad in dire need of an offensive boost.
Schwarber managed just a .743 OPS in the month of July, which came right on the heels of his back issue that began in late June. He missed a couple of games, but avoided an IL stint. Looking back, perhaps a trip to the injured list would have done him some good.
Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber. Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images.Regardless, the lefty masher is starting to round back into form, and his importance to Philadelphia cannot be understated.
In fact, Schwarber is slashing .333/.455/.756 with 30 dingers in wins this season. In losses, Schwarber is hitting .152 with a .558 OPS, having homered just seven times in 54 games.
That is a wild contrast, and it demonstrates just how valuable Schwarber — who finished second in NL MVP voting last year — actually is.
Obviously, Schwarber isn't completely out of the woods yet. He has still only had two games in which he has left the yard since July 19. Both of those instances happened to be multi-homer affairs, but the Phillies would still surely like to see him blast home runs a bit more frequently than just two games out of a month.
But there is no question that the four-time All-Star appears to be coming out of what appeared to be a lethal slump.
Maybe his back is finally better. Maybe he has just found a way to deal with the pain. Whatever the case may be, Schwarber finally appears to have woken up, and that's fantastic news for a Philadelphia ballclub that is fighting for its playoff life.
