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Dave Dombrowski Breaks Silence on Phillies' Bryce Harper Outfield Decision

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Matthew Sullivan | Last updated Jun 25, 2025 2:30 PM ET

One of the many storylines floated out into the world this season for the Philadelphia Phillies has been Bryce Harper's willingness to move back to the outfield. This was in part due to speculation over the Phillies being interested in a first baseman in free agency or in a trade.

But the man in charge of making such a move, Dave Dombrowski, recently revealed his stance on moving Harper back to the outfield. In a piece from Jayson Stark of The Athletic, Dombrowski gave a clear answer on where he stands regarding Harper heading back to the outfield.

"Well, Bryce has said that," Dombrowski said. "Bryce will be willing to do whatever needs to be done. And that's one of the many things that are great about him. I would really prefer not to do that."

His answer is clear: Dombrowski doesn't want to move Harper back to the outfield. After spending time having Harper learn first base moving him back to the outfield is something Dombrowski doesn't want to do.

Even with Harper being open to such a move, the Phillies, under Dombrowski's leadership, have no plans to move Harper back to the outfield for now. While something drastic could happen, it's incredibly unlikely for the Phillies to move Harper back to the outfield in the future.

Philadelphia is in a great spot this season, sitting atop the NL East as June comes to a close. They've been able to stay afloat without Harper and will be getting him back sometime in July.

Once he's back, he will slide right back into the starting first baseman role, leaving Otto Kemp and Max Kepler to duke it out in left field. While moving Harper to the outfield could happen, Dombrowski would prefer not to do it. So, for now, Harper will remain the team's first baseman.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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