Philadelphia Phillies Superstar Out of Lineup Again With Injury

Just minutes before the Philadelphia Phillies matchup against the Washington Nationals on Tuesday evening, Don Mattingly scratched Kyle Schwarber from the lineup with lower back tightness. 

It appears that this injury won’t just be a one-game absence for the Phillies superstar. Schwarber is once again out of Philadelphia’s lineup on Wednesday as he continues to deal with back tightness.

With Schwarber out of the lineup, Bryce Harper is the team’s designated hitter, and Alec Bohm is lotted in at first base.

Mattingly did say before the game that there is a chance Schwarber could come into the game as a pinch-hitter. However, the expectation, without fully committing, is that the superstar hitter will be back in the lineup on Thursday. 

Plus, even though Schwarber isn’t in the starting lineup, Mattingly did stress after Tuesday’s chaotic win that it didn’t appear this was a serious injury. 

“Just got tight and tried to swing and couldn't, and that was it for that,” said the Phillies’ skipper.

“He said he was feeling better already, and listening to Paul, it sounds like this is kind of happened before. 
I think, Kyle is probably smart enough to know to take care of [himself] and, stop right away, rather than try to keep going, so that's a good thing.”

It does appear that the Phillies are being extra cautious with Schwarber, which is a smart move with the 33-year-old, especially since Philadelphia doesn’t have an offday on the schedule in sight. 

The designated hitter owns a .959 OPS with 29 home runs so far this season, with an average exit velocity of 93.2 mph. Over the last seven games alone, Schwarber owns a .296/.387/.852 slash line with five home runs.

To say he’s been the lifeline of the Phillies' offense this season would be an understatement. 

The Phillies didn’t need Schwarber’s bat on Tuesday as the team put together a historic comeback, scoring eight runs in the ninth inning, to take down their division rival, 14-9. In fact, Edmundo Sosa, who replaced Schwarber after his exit, went 2-for-5 with a home run and five RBI.

The good news is that Schwarber is still considered day-to-day, but the bad news is that he still won’t be in the Phillies lineup on Wednesday. 

Hopefully, the Phillies' offense can step up again on Wednesday, just like they did on the previous night. 

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