Phillies Dealing With Concern After Bryce Harper Leaves Rockies Game With Migraine
The Philadelphia Phillies have been one of baseball's feel-good stories over the last few weeks. After a dreadful 9-19 start that cost manager Rob Thomson his job, interim manager Don Mattingly steadied the ship quickly.
The Phillies have now won eight of their last nine games under Mattingly heading into the weekend, pulling themselves to 17-22 and back within reach on the NL East standings. One of the reasons for Philadelphia's resurgence has been first basemanBryce Harper.
The eight-time All-Star entered Saturday's home game against the Colorado Rockies hitting .282 with nine home runs, 23 RBIs and a .929 OPS, and was again expected to play a crucial role in the Phillies' second game against the Rockies. But Saturday night took an uncomfortable turn early.
Per The Athletic's Charlotte Varnes, Harper exited in the first inning with a migraine, forcing the Phillies to reshuffle their lineup before the game had barely begun, with Félix Reyes immediately stepping in to replace him.
The development adds to a recent troubling pattern for the club as this is the third migraine-related absence for a Phillies player in 2026.
Bryce Harper was removed from the game with a migraine. Felix Reyes is pinch-hitting for him in the first.
— Charlotte Varnes (@charlottevarnes) May 9, 2026
Andrew Painter suffered a migraine before a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks in April. And just last Saturday against the Miami Marlins, outfielder Justin Crawford was a late scratch for the same reason, forcing Mattingly to deploy an entirely makeshift outfield of Garrett Stubbs in left, Adolis García in center and Felix Reyes in right.
Three migraines across the roster in the span of roughly two weeks is an unusual cluster, and it has not gone unnoticed.
"What is going on with wave of migraines sweeping through the Phillies?" John Stolnis, host of Phillies podcast "Hittin' Season" wrote.
"Why are these players getting migraines? Seems a lot," one fan added.
"There have been more migraine related issues for the Phillies this season than I can remember," Metro Philly's Matt Watson pointed out.
"I know this can't be right, but I swear I don't remember anyone ever missing a game for the Phillies with a migraine before the season," popular Phillies podcaster Franzke & LA wrote.
These episodes, while disruptive, typically resolve within 24 hours, but it remains to be seen if Harper's migraine will carry into the week. The Phillies have an off-day Monday before opening a three-game series on the road against the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday, and the severity of the migraine could determine his availability.
Related: Don Mattingly Announces Reason for Alec Bohm's Removal From Phillies Lineup
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This story was originally published May 9, 2026 at 5:35 PM.