Is Kyle Schwarber at first base still a thing?

PHILADELPHIA — Before Saturday’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Kyle Schwarber was out taking ground balls at first base.

In a spring training devoid of interesting storylines, Schwarber spending some time at first base was at least something to talk about. He started in four games at first base during Grapefruit League play for the Phillies. He looked more comfortable than he did in 2021 when the Boston Red Sox tried to pigeon hole him at the position during a pennant race.

The idea behind Schwarber getting some reps at first was to make the Phillies lineup more flexible. If the Phillies wanted to give Bryce Harper a day off his feet as a DH without taking Schwarber out of the lineup, that’s possible if Schwarber can play first. Schwarber can also spell Max Kepler in left field if the Phillies prefer to have a more experienced player at first, like Alec Bohm or Kody Clemens.

The season is only a week old, but could Schwarber be close to making his first start at the position? The Phillies aren’t really thinking about it, according to Rob Thomson.

“I don’t have any plans for that,” the Phillies manager said. “You could see it at some point during the course of the year. But I think it’s part of his process now just to get activated and get ready for the game. He likes to move around a little bit.”

Schwarber spoke in spring training about appreciating the camaraderie of being out on the field with his teammates. He has thrived as the Phillies’ primary designated hitter since 2023, but it can be isolating. Wearing a glove, getting some dirt underneath his spikes — and hearing his teammates talk smack — can be a welcoming distraction.

“It’s fun for me to get out here, run around and do different things,” Schwarber said. “If I can go out in the outfield and go in here and take ground balls besides just thinking about hitting all the time. I feel like I’ve definitely gotten more comfortable over there, but it’s still a fun thing for me to come out and move around a little bit.”

It could also benefit him in a contract year. Maybe there is an interested team next offseason that wants to sign Schwarber, but doesn’t have an opening at designated hitter. He could turn his ability to play first base into leverage.

The Phillies have other first base options ahead of Schwarber if Bryce Harper were to go down with an injury. They could move Bohm across the diamond and have Edmundo Sosa be the everyday third baseman. The Phillies’ Plan A at most positions if an injury pops up is to find a way to get Sosa in there. He is 9-for-15 to start the season.

But what if the Phillies find themselves once again in the unusual scenario where one player was limited to just DH reps? Harper spent nearly a year-and-a-half as a designated hitter after tearing his UCL in 2022 and undergoing Tommy John surgery in the offseason. The Phillies hope that nothing like this comes up ever again, but it doesn’t hurt to be prepared.

That’s probably the only way you’ll see an extended look at Schwarber as a first baseman.

“The reason why I do it, I just stay ready,” Schwarber said. “It’s more about if anything happens. Say that there’s ever a situation where I have to go out there, I just want to be ready.”