Reds had ‘a lot of interest’ in Kyle Schwarber, who is out of the lineup vs. his hometown team

Kyle Schwarber grew up near Cincinnati. The Reds were his childhood team. He resides in Ohio in the offseason.

All the dots connected him to the Reds in free agency.

“We definitely talked to him, and there was a lot of interest,” Reds manager Terry Francona said on Phillies Extra, The Inquirer’s baseball podcast. “After visiting with him, my opinion of him has only grown. And I know his reputation in the game is spotless and he’s one of the best, and I can see why.”

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The Reds didn’t approach the Phillies’ five-year, $150 million offer for Schwarber, who was also courted by the Orioles, Pirates, and Mets, among other teams. But at least they caught a break Monday when Schwarber wasn’t in the Phillies’ lineup after waking up “under the weather,” according to interim manager Don Mattingly.

It was unclear if Schwarber was available to pinch-hit.

“We’ll see where it goes through the course of the day,” Mattingly said, “if he’s available to do anything.”

Schwarber leads the majors with 20 homers and is on pace to finish with 67. He has been on a power binge lately, too, going deep nine times in his last 10 games. He’s the second-fastest Phillies hitter to reach 20 homers in a season, trailing only Cy Williams in 1923.

Like most teams, the Reds’ interest in Schwarber was tied to both his power at the plate and as a leader in the clubhouse. He would’ve fit in the middle of the lineup and as a veteran presence alongside 24-year-old shortstop Elly De La Cruz and 22-year-old first/third baseman Sal Stewart.

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As ever, Schwarber’s power is accompanied by swings-and-misses. He has 70 strikeouts, second in the National League behind Pittsburgh’s Oneil Cruz (72).

“He’s interesting the way he does it,” Mattingly said. “It’s strikeouts and homers and walks, and you just never know when [the power] is coming, right? You see him hit a ball out of the ballpark in center field in Pittsburgh off a lefty, then he’ll maybe not look great in that next at-bat. And then there’s another homer. So, he’s interesting.”

With Schwarber not feeling well, Mattingly seized the opportunity to give Bryce Harper a game in the DH spot. Alec Bohm moved across the diamond to first base, with utility infielder Edmundo Sosa starting at third base.

Otto Kemp was among the first scapegoats during the Phillies’ brutal April.

A month later, he’s back.

In a swap of righty-hitting bench bats, the Phillies recalled Kemp from triple A and optioned Felix Reyes. Kemp started in left field against Reds lefty Nick Lodolo and likely will start again Wednesday in the series finale against lefty Andrew Abbott.

“It’s nice to be back,” Kemp said. “Nice to go get at-bats every day and kind of get my timing back, get my direction back, kind of feel more like myself.”

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Kemp went 2-for-20 (.100) with a .282 OPS in limited playing time, mostly in left field against left-handed pitching, to open the season. Upon returning to triple A and playing more regularly, he batted .262 with three homers, 21 runs batted in, and a .792 OPS in 24 games.

Reyes moved into Kemp’s role and homered in his first major league at-bat. Overall, he went 6-for-38 (.158) with a .421 OPS. The Phillies are hoping he will benefit from everyday at-bats in triple A.

“The younger guys, it’s hard to just let them sit here,” Mattingly said. “When they don’t play, they don’t get the at-bats. Next thing you know, they’re not swinging the bat the way they can. So, Kemp gets to go down, plays every day; he’s been swinging good down there. Now, Felix gets his opportunity to go down and get himself going and continue to develop.”

The Phillies are the fifth team in the last 100 years to go from at least 10 games under .500 to one game over within the first 47 games of a season, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The others: 2001 Athletics, 1996 Marlins, 1958 Cardinals, and 1951 Giants. ... Lefty reliever Jonathan Hernández exercised his opt-out clause and signed with the Dodgers. Hernández, 29, had a 4.80 ERA in 13 appearances for triple-A Lehigh Valley. ... Jesús Luzardo (3-3, 5.07 ERA) is scheduled to start at 6:40 p.m. Wednesday against Reds righty Chase Burns (5-1, 1.87).

Watch the latest episode

There’s never not a good reason to talk baseball with Terry Francona. But with his current team (the Reds) coming to town Monday, and because two of his former clubs (the Red Sox and Phillies) recently fired their managers, there's no better time to invite the future Hall of Fame manager for a conversation on "Phillies Extra," The Inquirer's baseball podcast. Watch here.

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Previous episodes: Aaron Rowand | Hunter Pence | Paco Figueroa | Gage Wood | Scott Boras | Brian Barber | Aaron Nola | Justin Crawford | Garrett Stubbs | Kyle Schwarber