Bryce Harper Faces Heat for Risky Offseason Gamble That’s Turned Him Into a Liability for Phillies in 2025

The Philadelphia Phillies currently enjoy a 1.5-game lead on the New York Mets, but they’re going to need a lot more out of first baseman Bryce Harper in the second half of the season. With the third-through-fifth-place teams being 12-16 games back, it’s clear it’ll be a battle of the Phillies and Mets to take home the NL East crown. With Harper’s lack of production, that honor is going to be much tougher for Philadelphia.

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Local Radio Host John Kincade Calls Out Bryce Harper’s Brutal 2025 Season
On 97.5 The Fanatic, Kincade knew that there was one topic that needed to be discussed. As great as Harper is, it’s not okay to treat him differently from any other player. His .252 average is on pace to be the lowest since his final season on the Washington Nationals back in 2018. With no average lower than .260 during his time on the Phillies, Harper has his work cut out for him in the second half of the season.

“He’s [Bryce Harper] 3-17 since his return and he’s flailing at the plate, mounting strikeouts. He’s had no power almost the whole year. It’s obvious that he’s still hurt. Something that should’ve been taken care of last offseason that wasn’t for some ungodly reason.

“The… pic.twitter.com/NSq2GLzE60

— 97.5 The Fanatic (@975TheFanatic) July 7, 2025

“He’s [Bryce Harper] 3-17 since his return and he’s flailing at the plate, mounting strikeouts. He’s had no power almost the whole year. It’s obvious that he’s still hurt,” Kincade said. “Something that should’ve been taken care of last offseason that wasn’t for some ungodly reason.”

He continued, “The Phillies and Bryce Harper pulled an Embiid on us and let the 2025 season be affected by an injury that could’ve been dealt with last offseason and wasn’t. Instead, they did the ‘well, let’s vacation and rest’. Let me assure you, vacation and rest is not a solution in the city of Philadelphia. Vacation and rest always backfires on us.”

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Knowing the city’s history, it’s no surprise that Kincade is calling out the way the Phillies handled Harper’s injury. After making the World Series in 2022, the team has continued to perform worse in the postseason.

They lost in seven games in the 2023 NLCS, then fell in four games during last year’s NLDS (to the Mets). A stretch of not making the playoffs from 2012-21 was followed up by the World Series appearance, but they’ve had nothing of note since.

Their 95-67 record last year was put to waste with a postseason performance that left a lot to be desired. Those 95 wins were the most by this team since 2011, when they won 102 and were similarly bounced in the NLDS.

Harper was a crucial part of the team’s success last season, as his 4.8 WAR was the highest he had since his 2021 MVP season. Currently, his OPS is .791, far short of the 1.044 mark he set that year.