Phillies' Don Mattingly, Dave Dombrowski address Bryce Harper's struggles

Dombrowski, who took over the Phillies in 2021 and has already built one pennant winner to this point, isn't ready to make a move that would lead to Harper moving back to right field, a suggestion by some in the interest of alleviating defensive pressure to jumpstart him offensively. 

Dave Dombrowski is far from ready to make any rash decisions 

"I don't think so," Dombrowski said. "We haven't talked to him about it. I know he's always been very open minded to try to help the organization however he can. And I really don't contemplate it, because I really like the way he goes about his business at first base. One thing we wouldn't do is keep going back and forth. But I look at him as being our first baseman."

And to Harper's credit, he's still been productive and made an impact on the lineup despite struggling to get on base. Harper has 15 home runs and 40 RBI with a .477 slug, below his career mark of .517, but not nearly to a level that would cause as much concern as his average and OBP may. 

Bryce Harper has still displayed his normal level of power 

Harper crushed 27 home runs in 2025 after hitting 30 in the season prior. He has also walked 48 times, putting him on track to reach one of his higher totals in recent years. 

But there's no denying Harper's season has been below the normal expectations of a two-time MVP. Most importantly, the Phillies are far from in a comfortable spot as they sit seven games behind the Atlanta Braves in the National League East and are clinging to a slim lead for the second wild-card spot.

As the Phillies approach July, and then subsequently the trade deadline, Harper's issues at the plate will continue being brought up until he starts to heat up.