Phillies' Kyle Schwarber Still Isn't There Yet, and That's a Problem

Every time it looks like Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber is about to break out of it, he falls right back into a hole.

Heading into the Phillies' critical four-game series against the Atlanta Braves starting Friday evening, Schwarber's average is now sitting at .240, his worst mark since June 10. He has homered just once in the last nine games and three times in the last 17. His OPS has dropped all the way down to .872, his lowest since April 28.

It's clear that Schwarber isn't himself, and with Philadelphia having won 15 of its last 18 games, it has kind of flown under the radar.

But make no mistake: it's a serious problem for the Phillies.

Yes, Bryce Harper has been tremendous. Yes, Luis Arraez has changed the complexion of the lineup. Yes, guys like Alec Bohm, Bryson Stott, Bryan De La Cruz and even Edmundo Sosa have been producing.

However, Philadelphia absolutely, positively needs Schwarber to be hitting dingers come October, or else the offense will suffer.

Schwarber is one of the most dangerous hitters in baseball when he is locked in, but he has not looked quite the same since a back issue began plaguing him in late June.

The 33-year-old avoided an IL stint, but at this point, it's looking like the Phillies may have been better served giving him some time off a couple of months ago.

Because this version of Schwarber, while still dangerous, is not even close to the version that the team needs.

The lefty posted a .743 OPS in July. He followed that up with a .789 OPS in August. On the year overall, he has smashed 40 home runs to go along with 83 RBI. That's fantastic. But most of that damage came over the first three months.

Schwarber has been largely ordinary since the end of June. He absolutely cannot be ordinary in October if Philadelphia wants to have any chance of making a deep run.

The four-time All-Star might not have any answers, either. At this point, he appears to be at the mercy of his back. And so do the Phillies.

There is still time for Schwarber to rediscover his consistency, but the closer we get to the playoffs, the less likely it looks that he is going to find it.