PHILADELPHIA — Outfielder Harrison Bader could play in Monday’s Game 2 for the Philadelphia Phillies after leaving Saturday’s National League Division Series opener with a groin injury.
Phillies manager Rob Thomson said Sunday that imaging showed no major tear or strain in Bader’s groin. Thomson said the Phillies would have a better idea on Monday if Bader, who settled center field and morphed into a fan favorite down the stretch, could start or at least be used as a pinch hitter Monday night against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
“I think after the game they stretched him out, got him moving around a little bit,” Thomson said, a day after his club dropped Game 1. “I think he felt a lot better after that.”
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Bader made one of the Game 1 plays of the game when he sprinted to his left on Andy Pages’ tying shot in the fifth inning and made the diving grab for the out. Bader, who added a sacrifice fly, said he felt tightness later in the game running the bases.
“This is kind of the point in the season where you just empty the tank,” Bader said after the game.
Should Bader miss Game 2, Nick Castellanos likely would return to the starting lineup in right field, with Brandon Marsh in center field and Max Kepler in right.
