SAN DIEGO – Kyle Schwarber’s flight from San Diego to Atlanta on Sunday will be emptier without Zack Wheeler, who decided this week not to participate in Tuesday’s All-Star Game at Truist Park.
It made Schwarber the Phillies’ only All-Star in the game itself.
Wheeler had an excellent chance of starting the game in his hometown, if he had wanted to pitch.
“I’d just rather get myself ready to go for the second half,” Wheeler said before Friday night’s 4-2 loss to San Diego at Petco Park. “Don’t get me wrong, it would be an honor to throw/start.”
Wheeler motioned toward the field.
“This is what I’m worried about,” he said.
If the Phillies are going to win the World Series, their rotation likely will lead the way. Wheeler, Cristopher Sánchez and Ranger Suárez had All-Star-worthy first halves. Sánchez has not been added to the NL roster, probably because he is pitching Sunday’s series finale, making him unable to pitch Tuesday. Suárez, who allowed one earned run in 6 2/3 innings on Friday, said MLB asked him earlier this week to pitch in the All-Star Game, but he declined.
Like Wheeler, Suárez said he prefers to rest.
“That’s what’s best for us, for the team,” Suárez said via interpreter. “It’s a long second half that we’re going to have. I want to remain as healthy and as fresh as I can.”
But the Phils will need to score runs in October, which means they will need Schwarber. He crushed Ryan Bergert’s 1-1 fastball for a solo home run to right field in the third inning to cut the Padres’ lead to 3-2.
It was Schwarber’s 30th homer of the season. He is just the second player in Phillies history to hit 30 homers before the All-Star break. Mike Schmidt hit 31 in 1979.
Schwarber, 32, is having the best year of his career. He has career-high marks with a .385 on-base percentage, a .560 slugging percentage and a .945 OPS. He entered Friday with 3.0 WAR, according to Baseball Reference. He set a career-high 3.5 WAR in both 2021 and ’24.
“He’s a great hitter,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “He’s changed his approach. He’s not thinking pull as much. He’s staying on the ball. So it gives him a better chance against left-handed pitchers.”
It is difficult to imagine a Phillies lineup without Schwarber. His 161 homers since he joined the Phillies in 2022 is third in baseball. Only Aaron Judge (191) and Shohei Ohtani (164) have hit more. He ranks 18th out of 203 qualified players with an .850 OPS across those years.
But Schwarber will be a free agent following the season.
So will J.T. Realmuto and Suárez.
There are franchise-altering decisions to be made in the coming months, but Schwarber’s importance in the lineup and clubhouse is incalculable.
He might be irreplaceable.
“To be honest with you, I have no clue,” Schwarber said about a contract extension before the end of the season. “I haven’t had a conversation yet with my agency or anything like that. But I’m sure during the break, they’ll be at the All-Star Game. I’m sure there’ll be conversations to be had. We’ll see if that’s a midyear thing or if it’s just at the end.
“Like I said, if it gets done, that’s great. If it doesn’t, that’s fine. I’m just here to pour everything I have into helping this team win. That’s what I said back in Spring Training. There were some talks, but nothing really went. I said it’s not going to change the way I’m going to want to play the game. I’m just going to keep doing what I do on a daily basis and just pour myself into the guys.”
But Sunday, Schwarber will fly to Atlanta to participate in his third All-Star Game. He is surprised he won’t have more teammates there, even with Wheeler and Suárez bowing out.
“If they’re good enough, then name them an All-Star,” Schwarber said. “If they can’t pitch, they can’t pitch. Trea [Turner] … he’s probably the best shortstop in the National League right now. It’s unfortunate. I wish my teammates were there, but we know what we have. I think we’re grateful for what we have.”