The arrival of Harrison Bader brings questions for the Phillies outfield

After trading for outfielder Austin Hays at the deadline last year, the Phillies intended to play him every day.

That isn’t the plan for Harrison Bader.

Although Bader joined the Phillies on Friday, one day after being acquired from the Twins, he wasn’t in the lineup for the series opener against the Tigers at Citizens Bank Park. At the outset, manager Rob Thomson said Bader will split time in center field with lefty-hitting Brandon Marsh.

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“For the next six days, it looks like sort of a true platoon,” said Thomson, noting that the Phillies are scheduled to face alternating righty and lefty starters through Wednesday. “For six days. And then, once we get to that point, we’ll figure it out.”

The Phillies have much to reassess. Among the questions:

Let’s take them one by one.

Crawford, 21, was batting .325 and reaching base at a .411 clip in triple A through Thursday. He tends to generate extreme opinions from evaluators because of how frequently he hits the ball on the ground. But as president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said this week, “We think he’s ready to play at the big-league level.”

So, what are the Phillies waiting for?

For one thing, they will call up Crawford only if they can play him every day. That isn’t the case as long as both Marsh and Kepler are in the mix as platoon outfielders in center and left field, respectively.

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Kepler, who started in left field against Tigers righty Jack Flaherty, was batting .203 with 11 homers and a .655 OPS. Thomson suggested Kepler is “swinging the bat a lot better,” even if he was only 5-for-25 with one homer in his previous seven games.

“He hasn’t had many numbers because he’s hitting the ball right at people,“ Thomson said. ”But he’s barreling up a lot of balls.“

There’s also this: The Phillies signed Kepler for $10 million in the offseason. If they released him, they would still owe him about $3.2 million. It’s a consideration. Last year, they ate roughly $3.4 million after releasing Whit Merrifield.

For now, then, Kepler will keep platooning with Otto Kemp and Weston Wilson, while Marsh and Bader share center field.

Bader, a right-handed hitter, has even splits against left- and right-handed pitchers. He also batted .258 with 12 homers and a .778 OPS for the Twins, his best offensive season since 2021, an improvement he credited to improving his pull-side power. And he’s an exceptional defender in center field and left.

“I see him as the best center fielder we’ve got right now,” Thomson said.

That was especially true after the Phillies optioned Johan Rojas to triple A to open a roster spot for Bader. Since the middle of May, he has neither hit nor played much. He’s batting .224 with a .569 OPS, 312th among 330 players with at least 150 plate appearances.

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Despite Rojas’ defensive prowess in center field, Thomson talked to him about playing left or right in triple A in order to keep Crawford in center. He also said Marsh, who has been the Phillies’ primary center fielder, is “one of the best left fielders in baseball.”

Connect a few dots, and it’s not difficult to imagine the Phillies eventually calling up Crawford to play center field and dividing left field between Marsh and Bader.

Check back in a week, apparently.

“The way it is for the next six days, it works out pretty good for everybody,” Thomson said. “But I can see [Bader] playing against right-handed pitching, as well.”

Meantime, regardless of how much he plays, Bader said he’s excited to join what’s shaping up to be a photo finish in the NL East between the Phillies and Mets. Bader spent last season with the Mets.

“I’ve kind of been injected into a playoff race, and all of the notions of ego or ‘me, me’ and my playing time, that’ll go out the window,” Bader said. “I’m here to help this team win. I want a shot at the World Series.”

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Aaron Nola threw 47 pitches in three scoreless innings for triple-A Lehigh Valley in Worcester, Mass., the first start in his return from a fractured rib. He allowed three hits and one walk and struck out three batters.

The Phillies intend to increase Nola’s pitch count by 15 per start until he reaches 90. His next start is scheduled for Wednesday in Allentown.

David Robertson gave up three runs on three hits in one inning for Lehigh Valley. Robertson, slated to pitch again Sunday, is eligible to join the Phillies on Tuesday. He signed a prorated $16 million contract on July 20.

Joe Ross (back) also pitched for the IronPigs, tossing a scoreless inning.

Alec Bohm (fractured rib) took swings off the tee and soft toss and fielded grounders at third base before the game. ... The Phillies placed reliever Daniel Robert on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to Wednesday, with a blister on his right middle finger. The move opened a spot on the active roster for newly acquired closer Jhoan Duran. ... The Phillies inducted Jimmy Rollins and former general manager Ed Wade into their Wall of Fame in a pregame ceremony. ... Right-hander Charlie Morton will make his Tigers debut Sunday night after being acquired from the Orioles at the trade deadline. ... Zack Wheeler (9-4, 2.56 ERA) is scheduled to face the Tigers’ Tarik Skubal (10-3, 2.09) in a matchup of Cy Young Award candidates at 4:05 p.m. Saturday.