Although Kyle Schwarber, the slugger for the Philadelphia Phillies, may have had problems with his right knee last season, surgery was not an option this winter.
Despite playing with a bothersome knee in 2023, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reported on Wednesday that the 30-year-old has not had any surgery on it this offseason. Rather, Schwarber has chosen to focus on knee rehabilitation in advance of the upcoming season.
In his nine years in the major leagues, the left-handed hitter has never been the fastest on his feet, but this year in Philadelphia, his mobility problems were particularly noticeable. Already a poor fielder, Schwarber’s defensive range was further curtailed as he recorded negative-21 defensive runs saved in just 103 left field games, as opposed to his minus-14 total in 139 games in 2022. His struggles in the field forced him to play the designated hitter role exclusively by the start of the postseason. Furthermore, Schwarber only made two attempts at basestealing in 2023; the previous season, he made 11 attempts at 10 bases.
In his second season in Philadelphia, Schwarber was again productive out of the leadoff spot despite being less mobile. He obviously didn’t hit.250, but he did contribute his usual pop and on-base abilities. Schwarber cut.197/.343/.474 with 47 home runs and a major league-high 215 strikeouts.
In 2024, the Phillies should once again be led by that power impact, and if Schwarber’s knee heals, they might even be able to show off a little bit more speed.