Phillies’ Harrison Bader exited with groin tightness, but he’s optimistic he can return during the playoffs

Phillies outfielder Harrison Bader exited Game 1 of the National League Division Series early on Saturday after suffering groin tightness in the fifth inning.

The Phillies had Nick Castellanos pinch-hit for Bader in the seventh inning. The injury was initially announced as a hamstring strain, but after the game, manager Rob Thomson clarified that it was groin tightness.

Bader reached base when he was a hit by pitch from Dodgers starter Shohei Ohtani in the fifth inning, and Bryson Stott singled in the next at-bat.

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While running from first to second base, Bader said he pulled his groin.

“It just felt a little weird,” he said. “I don’t know really what I’d attribute it to. I made a full-speed diving catch in center [in the top of the fifth] and obviously felt good all day swinging and everything. Put some pretty intense swings up there prior to that.

“So, I just think random things happen, unfortunately. But in terms of the preparation leading up to the event and whatnot, I really wouldn’t change anything. Sometimes things don’t necessarily go your way. So, definitely could certainly be worse in terms of what I’m feeling.”

Thomson said that Bader would undergo imaging tests on Sunday and added that he feels comfortable with either Brandon Marsh or Max Kepler in center field.

Whatever happens next will be the result of that testing, but Bader struck an optimistic tone in the locker room. He said that the decision to pull himself out of the game was a difficult one, but he felt it was the smart call because he didn’t feel as if he could fully sprint out in center field.

“I’m not one to [remove myself from a game],” he said. “It’s not in my personality. I know Topper gives me every reason to tell him how I feel, and it’s a decision between us.

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“But like I said, there’s just a lot of baseball ahead of us. And I think that running the risk of going out there, letting it go, and then something worse happening, I think would definitely prolong the potential of coming back. So it’s a tough call but one that had to be made.”

When asked if he felt confident that he’d be back during the playoffs, Bader said, “Yeah, for sure.”

“I definitely feel like I’ll be able to come back for sure,” Bader said. “We have an off day [Sunday], we’ll get some imaging done, and go from there. But this is the point in the season where you just empty the tank. And I can assure you … I don’t know how you guys are taking my reaction to this, obviously it’s downplayed to the extent of whatever’s going on, it is what it is.

“But in terms of my willingness to go out there and completely empty the tank, and give every last ounce of what I’ve got for this team, and for the baseball I have ahead of me, it’s absolutely something I’m going to do. So if there’s an absolute chance in hell, you better be able to be in there. So, we’ll just go from there.”

It would be a loss on both sides of the ball for the Phillies if Bader were out for a prolonged period of time. But no matter what happens, they will continue to rely on their next-man-up mentality.

“I mean, you don’t want that to ever happen,” designated hitter Kyle Schwarber said. “And hopefully [we] caught it early enough that it’s nothing too serious and we get him back whenever we get him back.

“But we’ve got guys to step up, too. Guys who have been in a lot of meaningful games for us, as well. So, we’ve got to go from there.”