Bryce Harper joined the Phillies to win a World Series. Instead, he is watching his team go through its worst losing streak since 2018.
The 2026 season has been a disaster so far, and Harper says he has never seen a team struggle like this. Still, he hasn't lost hope. He is challenging his teammates to fight back, end their eight-game losing streak, and get out of this hole.
"I can't remember something like this in my career," Harper told ESPN's Jesse Rogers . "We got to get through it. Obviously, we don't want to be where we are right now. I think you could probably tell me better if we have been through this, or other teams that I've played with have been through this, but I know teams that have been through this and been through the mud a little bit and still climbed out of it. Yeah, we got to do it."
The Phillies entered Thursday's series finale against the Chicago Cubs with an 8-16 losing record. Absolutely nothing is working. While the Phillies' offense only put together seven runs against the Cubs, their pitching gave up as many as 19. During their losing streak, the Philadelphia hitters have collectively scored only 16 runs as opposed to their opponents' 56.
Now in his eighth year of a massive 13-year, $330 million contract, Harper is doing what he can. After Dave Dombrowski called him 'not elite' last season, the 33-year-old is slashing .264/.350/.505 this season. In terms of driving home runs, Harper (5) is only second to Kyle Schwarber (8) till now in 2026.
September 15, 2025, Los Angeles, California, USA: Bryce Harper 3 of the Philadelphia Phillies celebrates after clinching the Division Championship Title after defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers in their MLB, Baseball Herren, USA regular season on Monday September 15, 2025 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California. ARMANDO ARORIZO/PI Los Angeles USA – ZUMAp124 20250915_zaa_p124_056 Copyright: xArmandoxArorizox
Against the Cubs, Harper went 2-for-11, recorded five total bases while driving in one homer and two RBI in three games. Harper has only played for one other team in his career apart from the Phillies, the Washington Nationals . And the last time the Phillies had a similar skid in 2018, Harper was not on the team.
Harper is a part of the elite core, alongside Schwarber, Trea Turner , and J.T. Realmuto , who won back-to-back NL East titles. But with most of these stars now deep into their 30s, they are looking for a way out of this slump before their postseason hopes fade.
The last time the Phillies had a losing record early in the season was in 2022, and Dombrowski responded by firing the then-manager Joe Girardi. He then appointed Rob Thomson. This year, the Phillies' front office is holding underperforming players accountable, with Taijuan Walker being the first one out of the clubhouse.
The Philadelphia Phillies manager, Rob Thomson, confirmed to Jesse Rogers of ESPN that Taijuan Walker's release has been solely performance-based. And his performance at the Phillies makes the decision understandable.
Walker was in the final year of his four-year, $72 million deal when the Phillies released him on Thursday. Walker's latest outing against the Cubs during the Phillies' 7-2 loss cemented his fate.
Despite Walker's performance issues, Harper appreciated his presence as a teammate. He told Rogers, "He's definitely one of the better guys that I've ever been around in the game, just teammate-wise. So it's always tough seeing guys lose their job and get sent home."
Owing to his previous struggles, the Phillies used an opener, Kyle Backhus , before they brought Walker in. However, it did nothing to favor him, as Walker gave up five runs and two homers in four innings. He has logged a 9.13 ERA so far this season.
When asked about whether the players will immediately move on from Walker's release, Harper expressed that he believes they need to process their emotions, especially amid the team's terrible slump.
"I think people should feel what it feels like," Harper stated, as per ESPN. "Obviously, you don't want to just sit here and just say, 'Oh, hey, let's turn the page immediately.' You got to know what it feels like and get through it. You got to get through the mud sometimes and weather the storm a little bit."
Sadly, the bad times are not over yet. The Phillies fought hard to tie the game on Thursday, but they still lost to the Cubs 8-7. They have now lost nine games in a row and are just desperate for a win.
