Harper moving to RF after Arraez trade: 'I'd do anything for this organization'

PHILADELPHIA -- Bryce Harper has been saying for years that he'd move back to the outfield if the right situation presented itself.

Well, the Phillies are finally taking him up on it.

The acquisition of Luis Arraez on Monday led to an overhaul of the Phillies' defensive alignment -- but no move is more notable than Harper shifting to right field.

"The key for me is Harp," interim manager Don Mattingly said prior to Monday night's 6-3 win over the Nationals at Citizens Bank Park. "Harp moving to the outfield is really the key to this. It kind of solidifies the outfield."

With Arraez taking over at second base, the Phillies will shift Bryson Stott to third base, Alec Bohm to first base and Harper will return to right field, where he last appeared on April 16, 2022 -- and hasn't played regularly since 2021.

Harper bid farewell to first base -- for this season, anyway -- in style, making a diving stop to potentially save a run in the top of the seventh before crushing a two-run homer one inning later to provide some much-needed breathing room.

"I've said it in years past. I mean, I know everybody thinks it's crap when I say it, but it's not," Harper said of his willingness to play the outfield. "I think any chance that [gives us] an opportunity to win, I'd do anything for this organization, and they know that."

Harper reaffirmed his stance to president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski less than 24 hours before Monday's 6 p.m. ET Trade Deadline.

"I texted Dave late last night," Harper said on Monday afternoon, "and told him, 'Hey, if anything pops up, make the move and we'll see what happens.'"

Just a few hours later, Dombrowski did exactly that by landing Arraez -- a three-time batting champion -- along with right-hander Caleb Kilian from the Giants in exchange for prospects Ramon Marquez and Marty Gair.

"I've said it's going to take the right guy or the right position to do it,” Harper said. “I'm at a spot in my career where, obviously, I don't have to do that, right? Like I don't have to go and play a different position.

"I'm very comfortable at first base. I love first base. I love being on the infield. So it's something I'm doing just for the team. That's how I feel about that. I don't have to do that in this part of my career. But I want to win."

So, is Arraez the right guy?

"Obviously he's a guy that's won the batting title a couple years and somebody that's going to put the bat on the ball and an exciting player," Harper said. "I think he just brings a lot to our lineup. He's got that hit tool, and he’s somebody that can be really good for us. So I'm definitely excited."

There is one element that Harper isn't excited about, though.

"On the road, it's gonna suck," he joked. "Being in at first base, that's the best part about it -- you don't have to hear anything behind you. I'm probably going to get worn out a lot again [by fans]. So that's probably the worst part about going out there is I'm going to hear some pretty good stuff out there again."

On a more serious note, the Phillies know it's going to take some work to get Harper acclimated.

Yes, he's played more than 10,000 innings in the outfield during his 15-year career, including 892 starts in right field, but all of that was before he sustained an elbow injury in April 2022 that ultimately led to Tommy John surgery following the season.

Upon his return in 2023, Harper moved to first base and he's been there ever since.

The adjustment back to the outfield will require Harper to ramp his arm back up. He makes plenty of throws across the infield during pregame drills, but they're obviously a much shorter distance than what he'll be asked to do in right field.

"It’s going to be a work in progress out there," Mattingly said. "We're talking about a plan for him. Haven't got through all of it with him, but I think we have to be a little careful, just with the amount of movement out there compared to first, the throwing differences and things like that. So I think we want to make sure we're building that in a way that's safe for him."

While Mattingly said they plan to build Harper up cautiously, they do expect him to play right field on a near-everyday basis. Harper has played in every game this season.

"At 33 right now, this is the best I’ve felt in a long time," Harper said. "I feel healthy. I feel strong. Obviously, I'm going to need to get my arm going a little bit more. You don't show too much arm strength at first base, so definitely need to probably take a couple weeks, and I'm not saying it's necessarily gonna take a couple weeks, but long toss, arm care -- all that kind of stuff."

The reason Harper is willing to go through all of this is simple: He wants to win a World Series.

The Phillies believe this move gives them their best chance to do so.

So while he was at first base on Monday night, Harper expects to be in right field on Tuesday night when Arraez figures to make his Phillies debut at second base. Stott will shift to third base, a position he hasn't played since April 13, 2022 -- the fourth game of his career.

"It should not be lost that our superstar first baseman and two-time MVP is willing to move," Stott said. "When you're on a team and you see a guy do that, what are we going to say: 'No, we're not moving?' So I think that just shows who we are as a team -- that we're willing to move around and do certain things to win games, and like I said, we all want to win the World Series."

The move for Harper will not be a permanent one. He'll play the outfield in August and September -- and for however long a potential postseason run lasts.

"Two months," he said.

He paused, then corrected himself.

"Three months."