PHILADELPHIA -- Kyle Schwarber has checked plenty of boxes over the past few years, but he did something on Tuesday night he had never done in his time with the Phillies.
He started at first base.
Though Schwarber played one inning of mop-up duty at first base on May 7 against the A's, Tuesday marked his first start at first base since Game 6 of the 2021 ALCS with the Red Sox. (He did not see any action in that May 7 contest.)
Schwarber's cameo at first base allowed Bryce Harper -- the only Phillies player to play in all 73 games this season -- to get off his feet for a night as the club's designated hitter. Harper has started 68 of his 73 games at first base, while getting a handful of DH days. Alec Bohm and Felix Reyes started two games apiece in Harper's place at first earlier this season.
"He does work there occasionally -- we're not going to kill him anywhere -- but he handles himself all right out there," interim manager Don Mattingly said of Schwarber playing first. "We have to be able to do it some to be able to get Harp off his feet."
Schwarber, who entered Tuesday tied for the MLB lead with 24 homers, has made occasional starts in the field over the past few years, but always in the outfield. He was the club's full-time left fielder in 2022 and started 103 games in left in '23 before shifting primarily to DH in '24. He started five games in left in '24, eight in '25 and two so far this season.
As for first base, Schwarber had made just 18 previous starts at first base (including the postseason) over his 12-year career -- all of which came for the 2021 Red Sox.
"These guys are baseball players, and they've been the best athletes on their teams from the time they were 8 years old, probably," Mattingly said. "So him going out there -- he's probably gonna have fun out there."
Schwarber wasn't the only Phillie doing something Tuesday that he had only done for a former team. With Trea Turner sidelined by a right wrist contusion, outfielder Brandon Marsh was penciled into the leadoff spot for the first time in more than four years. He last hit leadoff on June 12, 2022, for the Angels.
Marsh, who typically hits toward the middle of the order, entered the night ranked fourth in the Majors with a .324 batting average.
Marsh is the first Phillie other than Schwarber or Turner to hit leadoff this season. Turner began the year atop the lineup, but was bumped down to the No. 2 spot behind Schwarber on May 26 due to his season-long struggles.
But with Turner expected to return to the lineup for Wednesday's series finale, it's unlikely Marsh will stick in the leadoff spot.
"I haven't really thought much about that," Mattingly said when asked if Marsh could get more chances atop the order. "But today it felt right."