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Former Phillies Utility Man Josh Harrison Announces Retirement From Baseball
Jul 1, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Josh Harrison (2) advances to second after hitting a double against the Washington Nationals in the fourth inning at Citizens Bank Park. Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

Former Phillies Utility Man Josh Harrison Announces Retirement From Baseball

Originally posted on Philadelphia Phillies on SI
By Jeremy Trottier  |  Last updated May 31, 2025 2:51 PM ET

The Philadelphia Phillies have had plenty of veteran rentals throughout their history who have become quality pieces on their best rosters.

Part of building a World Series team is landing players who may not be viewed exceptionally high by other teams at the moment, but can turn things around rather quickly given the right scenario. These key veterans are enormously valuable to any team, and even if they don't end up panning out, it gives the team a quality option for a period of time whenever they are needed.

An example of this in recent years was Josh Harrison, who ended up with the Phillies in 2023 and played 40 games for the team, playing four different positions as a key utility man. He also had a short stint back in 2019 and 2020 in the farm system for Philadelphia before moving on.

That was his last MLB stint where he got Major League playing time, and it will remain that way since Harrison announced his retirement from baseball on Saturday.

While he is not exactly known for his time with the Phillies, he was part of the 2023 team during the early going of that season before he was designated for assignment and later released following the trade deadline acquisition of Michael Lorenzen.

In the 40 games that Harrison played with Philadelphia, he slashed .204/.263/.291 with 10 RBI, eight runs, two home runs and 20 strikeouts to three walks.

He did everything he could to be valuable to the team, though, accruing only one error on the year with 33 putouts and 48 assists.

The last home run of his career came against the Chicago Cubs in June of 2023, hitting a strong line drive off Hayden Wesneski to put the Phillies up 8-2 in that contest.

Harrison will not be remembered specifically for his time with Philadelphia, as his Pittsburgh Pirates stint, and even his Washington Nationals stint, were more recognizable. But it is nice that he was able to get in one last solid season back in 2023 before deciding to retire a few years later.

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This article first appeared on Philadelphia Phillies on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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