With the heatwave still gripping the greater Philadelphia area, the Phillies’ recent offense has been polarizing, as the official start of summer makes its presence known, with the usual sticky heat of June energizing this scrappy group of players. The Phils definitely have not had the easiest stretch as of late, they had the hard-fought series win at home against the Mets, then flew out to Houston just to be swept by the Astros, then got themselves back on track with another series win against the Braves, all before coming home again for the current series against the Padres. It’s been a long season so far for the boys in South Philly, and with the hottest and most grueling parts of the job, in addition to the All-Star break, approaching, this team is in desperate need of a jolt.

With the long-awaited return of Bryce Harper from the injured list, one could argue that the return of the team’s “star” could be the defibrillation the offense needs to get runs across consistently. The team has been without its all-star caliber first baseman since the end of May when Spencer Strider plunked him during a homestand against the Braves, missing twenty-seven games in the 2025 season. Since that moment, Otto Kemp, a utility infielder who found himself shifting across the diamond to play first in Harper’s absence, has been absolutely stellar over at first base. Despite being a newer player at the sport’s most professional level, he has been contributing the best he can while his teammates, who make up the clubhouse, try to support him and the team the rest of the way. In the wake of Harper’s absence, there have been some extremely low-scoring games, some of which have been as little as a 1-0 loss against their opponents. However, the Phils continued to dominate, the lineup adjusting to the concept of being comfortable with small ball. Situational hitting on a smaller scale to impact the greater result of the game has been something that some members of this lineup, like Harper, choose to ignore, swinging for the fences on any pitch that they can, even if it’s in the other batter’s box on the other side of the plate. However, that awareness at the plate is something the younger core of this club, comprising the few healthy stars who make up the everyday lineup, has grown not only to recognize but also to appreciate and capitalize on.

Otto Kemp really is just a baseball player.

(Via @aokstott)

pic.twitter.com/wMdLBjlbvN

— On Pattison (@OnPattison) June 21, 2025

Despite some struggles offensively in Harper’s absence, the Phillies could rely on some of the other gems that have started to shine brighter in Dave Dombrowski’s crown: Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner. With Schwarber now the team’s primary DH, he doesn’t have the same defensive value he did when he began this contract with the Phillies in 2022; however, his offensive value has done nothing but improve since the beginning of his tenure with the Phils. As mentioned, he is the most likely candidate for Atlanta as a Phillies hitter, most recently making his case during this rough stretch at the plate for the Phils. However, the former leadoff hitter isn’t the only one who has been making a strong case for Atlanta based on his batting prowess this season.

It was no secret that Trea Turner had troubles gaining his footing when he first started in Philadelphia, with even the sophomore year of his contract looking grim, leaving many to ask themselves, “Where is the elite shortstop the team signed in the offseason going into 2023?” with just the shell of a former all-star standing in his place. In the third year of his eleven-year deal, Trea is finally starting to find himself in Philly, and he is in his offensive stride. In the three years he has been playing in Philadelphia. However, statistically, he hasn’t been the strongest; his consistency in captaining the infield has given him the edge to start in the 2024 All-Star Game and still be recognized as one of the strongest at the position in the sport. His first season being the weakest, he was just slashing .266/.320/.459, then, last year, as he continued to gain confidence with the team, their infield unit began to gel, marking the second year with all four players covering their respective positions instead of playing a game of musical chairs to handle all four spots behind the pitcher. In 2024, for the entire season, he slashed .295/.338/.469 with a WAR (wins above replacement) of 3.0. Now, in 2025, only halfway through the season, Turner has almost identical numbers (.295/.347/.453 with a 2.9 WAR) with still three months of the season ahead of him. He and Schwarber, since the two of them would bat first and second, used to do some damage together at the top of the Phillies lineup. Now, despite the two of them now batting both before and after Harper’s return, they continue to do damage with opposing pitchers fearing the heart of the lineup thanks to these two men, even without the final beast of the trio, Harper, missing. Now, with the lineup looking similar to that of the Opening Day lineup without some of their pitching staff, the Phillies are beginning to heat up at the best time. To finish off the first half of the season strong, with the majority of the lineup intact, would be a considerable feat. Yes, there are certain Philly “heroes” missing, like Alvarado, who got suspended back in May, and Nola, who has been “injured” after just starting the season 1-6.

Keep your head on a swivel

SEI x #RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/dOdX9oSGYm

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) July 1, 2025

While the team is urgently looking for more bullpen help, and potentially even a speedy outfielder (as they always seem to look for at the deadline), they are in a reasonably good place in comparison to recent years. They currently sit at the top of the NL East, two games ahead of the Mets. After the fantastic series win in Atlanta, they returned home for a short stint in Philadelphia, where they are currently finishing a series against a hot San Diego team before meeting the struggling Cincinnati Reds. They will then finish the first half of the season on the West Coast with three against San Francisco, who, despite recently receiving Rafael Devers from the Red Sox, continue to fall offensively after a red-hot beginning to the season. Then they’ll conclude the first half by returning the favor to the Padres, playing three at Petco Park. There is a very real chance that the Phillies could end the first half of the 2025 season sitting in first place in their respective division, with the opportunity to make significant additions to the team that will help them throughout the latter half of the season right after the midsummer break.