Kyle Schwarber homers in Phillies spring home opener; Aidan Miller dealing with sore back
Schwarber went deep in his first at-bat of spring training. Manager Rob Thomson says the Phillies are being “super cautious” with Miller, a prospect at shortstop.
CLEARWATER, Fla. — It didn’t take long — four pitches, to be exact — for Kyle Schwarber to hit his first home run of 2026.
He started his spring and the Phillies’ home opener at BayCare Ballpark on a high note with a solo shot that cleared the right-field fence in the first inning Sunday. Schwarber’s homer, off Pirates righty Braxton Ashcraft, clocked an exit velocity of 108.7 mph off the bat.
“Just trying to simplify, first at-bat, and just happened to get a good piece of it,” Schwarber said. “Good first day overall, but nice getting back in a little bit of competitive setting.”
Sunday’s 4-3 loss to the Pirates marked the spring debuts of Schwarber, Bryce Harper, Alec Bohm, Bryson Stott, Brandon Marsh, and J.T. Realmuto.
Manager Rob Thomson said there is a plan, similar to last spring, for Schwarber to eventually get reps at first base and left field to keep his skills there sharp in case he’s needed in the field. At the moment, though, the focus is on getting his bat ready for the World Baseball Classic, where he will represent Team USA. He was designated hitter Sunday and went 1-for-2 with a hit by pitch.
With one game under his belt, Schwarber already has half as many homers as he did last spring, when he hit two home runs in 17 Grapefruit League games. He said he didn’t start swinging any earlier this offseason with the WBC on the horizon, but instead mainly focused on getting his body in shape.
“I just found that just over the course of time that more quality things that I do don’t really need as much time,” Schwarber said. “I feel like you want to get a good, solid foundation of working out and working, getting your body going more, before you just start going out there and swinging right away. So get that set, and then get the swinging in the offseason. But I don’t try to overthink it too much.”
Shortstop prospect Aidan Miller has not played in the Phillies’ first two Grapefruit League games and will not travel to the East coast of Florida for their next two road games because of a sore back. Thomson said the Phillies are being “super cautious” with Miller, and he is getting treatment to calm down the soreness.
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“Just came in one day and it was sore,” Thomson said. “He took live BP, he got hit by a pitch, but wasn’t in the back, so I don’t know whether he jarred it or did something trying to get out of the way.”
Who stood out: Bohm laced a double to center field in the first inning. Realmuto and Stott also collected hits.
“Bohmer looked good,” Thomson said. “Stung the ball pretty good, and and Bohmer during all our BPs, he swung the bat really well. It’s good to see.”
Infield prospect Carson DeMartini homered in the sixth inning.
On the mound: It was a bullpen game for the Phillies. Trevor Richards, Zach Pop, Kyle Backhus, Tim Mayza, and Génesis Cabrera each pitched an inning, and each recorded at least one strikeout.
Jonathan Hernández pitched the sixth. After inducing two quick outs, he issued three straight walks to load the bases and was removed for minor league call-up Jack Dallas. Pirates prospect Esmerlyn Valdez then crushed a four-seam fastball for a grand slam.
Backhus, a lefty sidearmer competing for a bullpen spot, retired the side in order in the third. He struck out Jesus Castillo on a sinker that touched 94.3 mph. In 2025, Backhus’ sinker had an average velocity of 91.9 mph.
Quotable: “He’s been really impressive,” Thomson said of Backhus. “All his bullpens, all the BPs he’s thrown, and then, obviously, in the game today. The velocity is higher than it was last year. There’s not many guys that throw from that slot, so it’s tough to pick up. Slider’s been really good. He’s been really good on lefties. And he’s working on a changeup that could get the right-handers off him. So he’s been really impressive the whole camp.”
On deck: The Phillies hit the road to West Palm Beach, Fla., to take on the Washington Nationals on Monday (6:05 p.m., Phillies webcast and 94.1 WIP). Alan Rangel will start for the Phillies.