MLB Player News

Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said Wednesday that Harper will strictly play first base moving forward, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports.

Harper is almost a full calendar year removed from his November 2022 Tommy John surgery and there has been some thought that he could return to the outfield in 2024, but the 31-year-old slugger apparently took a liking to first base this past season and will now make it his permanent position in Philadelphia. Dombrowski noted that he spoke to Harper at length behind the scenes before making this information public. Dombrowski also said he relayed the news to Rhys Hoskins, who could depart in free agency this winter.

Carpenter (elbow) exercised his $5.5 million player option for 2024 on Friday, Ari Alexander of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Carpenter slashed .176/.322/.319 across 236 plate appearances with the Padres in 2023 and was unlikely to attract a large offer in the open market, so he'll opt into $5.5 million heading into his age-38 season. Carpenter battled injuries and saw his playing time decrease during the latter half of the season, and it's possible he remains in a reserve role to begin the 2024 campaign.

The Padres sent Seagle outright to Triple-A El Paso on Thursday.

Seagle was selected to the major-league roster as a depth piece during the final days of the regular season and registered only one plate appearance. He slashed .209/.261/.296 across 230 plate appearances between Double-A and Triple-A, and he'll now return to the minors without the benefit of a 40-man spot.

Pham will start at designated hitter and bat fifth Monday in Game 6 of the NLCS in Philadelphia, Alex Weiner of ArizonaSports.com reports.

Pham was removed for a pinch runner in Game 3 and for a pinch hitter in Game 4 before not starting Game 5. He'll get another shot to start Game 6 as the Diamondbacks attempt to stave off elimination. Pham is just 1-for-13 with six strikeouts so far during the NLCS.

Pham isn't in the Diamondbacks' lineup for Game 5 of the NLCS versus the Phillies.

Pham has gone 1-for-13 with six strikeouts through the first four games of the NLCS, so he'll get a chance to regroup as he sits out Game 5. Pavin Smith will serve as Arizona's designated hitter instead and bat fifth.

Pham (toe) will return to the outfield Thursday in Game 3 of the NLCS against the Phillies, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

Pham has been limited to DH duties since late September because of turf toe, but he's feeling better now and will give the Diamondbacks a slightly different lineup look as they try to rebound from an 0-2 series deficit. Pham is 0-for-8 with three strikeouts so far in the NLCS, but he went 7-for-22 (.318) with six runs scored in five games between the Wild Card Series and NLDS.

Pham revealed Tuesday that he's been limited to DH duties because of turf toe, Alex Weiner of ArizonaSports.com reports.

Pham served as the Diamondbacks' everyday designated hitter over the final week of the regular season and will remain in that role for Game 1 of the NL Wild Card Series on Tuesday against the Brewers. He said he might receive an injection before the game to help him get over the hump, but it's unclear whether he'll be able to play the outfield at all in Arizona's best-of-three series versus Milwaukee.

Winker (quad/back) is on the Brewers' roster for their NL Wild Card Series matchup versus the Diamondbacks.

Winker missed the final two months of the regular season due to back and quad injuries, but he has suddenly reemerged -- likely as a pinch-hitting option against righties -- for this best-of-three series against Arizona. The 30-year-old left-handed hitter owns a career .853 OPS versus right-handed pitching.

Ozuna went 2-for-3 with two homers, a walk and four RBI in Sunday's 10-9 loss to the Nationals.

Ozuna got his day going with a three-run blast in the third before sending out his 40th home run of the season in the ninth. Ozuna finished with seven RBI over the final two games of the year and ends the regular season with 100 RBI for the first time since 2017. Ozuna also reached 40 homers for the first time in his career and has had a tremendous bounce back campaign. The 32-year-old heads into the playoffs slashing .274/.346/.558. His .904 OPS and .284 ISO were both his highest marks since the shortened 2020 season.

Harper is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Mets.

The veteran slugger didn't start Game 2 of Saturday's doubleheader and will sit again Sunday for the final game of the regular season with the Phillies looking toward the playoffs. Harper is likely to close the campaign with a .293/.401/.499 slash line, 21 homers, 11 steals, 72 RBI and 84 runs in 126 games.