Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber has been M.I.A. down the stretch, and it has sparked a new dilemma for the team.
Another day, another loss for the Philadelphia Phillies, who are fighting for their playoff lives with just two games remaining in the regular season.
The Phillies were shut out by the Tampa Bay Rays, 2-0, on Friday, this even though the Rays didn't even really have anything to play for.
Kyle Schwarber went 0-for-3 in the affair and is now slashing just .165/.323/.380 during the month of September, and while Philadelphia's offensive struggles clearly cannot be solely pinned on him, there is no question he is a central part of the problem.
Schwarber got off to a torrid start in 2026, posting a 1.022 OPS in April and homering 30 times through June. Then, he sustained a back injury in late June, and everything has gone south for Schwarber ever since.
He posted a .743 OPS in July. That number bumped out to .789 in August, but through 22 games in September, his OPS has dipped to .703.
On the season overall, Schwarber still owns an impressive .858 OPS, but there is no question that the 33-year-old has shown signs of decline.
His 15.6 percent barrel rate is well below the 20.8 percent mark he posted in 2025. His hard-hit rate is down to 49.3 percent. His bat speed has also declined ever so slightly.
Make no mistake: those numbers are still good, but they are not what Phillies fans have come to expect from Schwarber, who just re-signed with Philadelphia on a five-year, $150 million contract last winter. A deal Philly may ultimately regret in the future.
Maybe Schwarber really is just being plagued by the balky back that became an issue in late June. Or perhaps he's just declining. Or maybe it's a bit of both.
Whatever the case may be, Schwarber is painting the Phillies into a corner here.
Let's say Philadelphia somehow misses the playoffs (which is becoming more and more of a possibility) or makes the playoffs and gets bounced early.
Do the Phillies consider blowing it up this offseason? And would trading Schwarber represent a part of that rebuild?
Schwarber doesn't play the field. All he does is hit. So his presence could ultimately end up clogging the DH spot if his offense continues to plunge. And with Schwarber turning 34 next March, he probably isn't going to suddenly improve.
The former Chicago Cubs slugger has been outstanding for Philadelphia ever since he arrived in 2022, bashing 45-plus homers in four out of five seasons. That includes this year, where he has tallied 45 long balls on the dot. But most of that damage came early.
If the Phillies do see their 2026 campaign come to an unceremonious end one way or the other, they may have to seriously think about going in a different direction this offseason. Parting ways with Schwarber could end up being a part of that.
