Phillies full-squads Day 2: Harper homers, Nola told to take it easy originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
CLEARWATER, Fla. — Bryce Harper was back at Phillies camp on Tuesday after missing a day with an illness. He took grounders at first base, went through batting practice and then ended his afternoon by facing live pitching.
In one of his first plate appearances of live BP against veteran right-hander Nabil Crismatt, Harper went deep and the droves of Phillies fans watching on the back fields at BayCare Ballpark gave him his first ovation of 2025.
“It was just a 24-hour flu,” manager Rob Thomson said. “He looked really good, had a lot of energy today.”
Aaron Nola also has the flu and was told to keep his distance on Monday and Tuesday. He played catch at the ballpark on Monday night after his teammates cleared out and was scheduled for a bullpen session on Tuesday evening.
Last spring, an illness spread quickly through the Phillies’ clubhouse, affecting more than a dozen players and delaying the start of some of their seasons, notably Orion Kerkering.
“Yeah, we’re keeping guys out of the clubhouse,” Thomson said. “I think that’s the number one key to keep it from spreading. Last year, we were a little more lenient and it really spread, it spread quickly. We’re just telling them to stay home.”
The lone Phillie yet to appear at camp is Trea Turner, who has been dealing with a personal issue. He arrived in Clearwater on Tuesday and is set to take his physical on Wednesday. If it checks out, he could be on the field later in the morning.
The pitcher Harper homered off of, Crismatt, will start Saturday’s Grapefruit League opener for the Phillies in Lakeland against the Tigers. Crismatt, a 30-year-old finesse right-hander from Colombia whose best pitch is his changeup, has a 3.71 ERA in 177 big-league innings with the Padres, Cardinals, Dodgers and Diamondbacks. He’s battling with Taijuan Walker, Max Lazar, Devin Sweet, Jose Cuas, Michael Mercado, Kyle Tyler, Koyo Aoyagi, Nick Vespi and other non-roster invitees for the final spot in the Phillies’ bullpen.
“His changeup’s really good. He can pitch,” Thomson said of Crismatt. “He changes speeds behind in the count. When his command’s good, he’s pretty effective.”
Crismatt is scheduled for two innings on Saturday. Alan Rangel (pronounced rahn-hell) is also scheduled for two innings. He’s a right-hander in the organization for starting pitching depth purposes. More of the Phillies’ pitching plans for the weekend and beyond should be known on Wednesday.
The first home game of spring training in Sunday against the Orioles at 1:05 p.m. on NBC Sports Philadelphia.
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