Aug 28, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Harrison Bader celebrates hitting a single against the Atlanta Braves at Citizens Bank Park. (Grace Del Pizzo/On Pattison)
Ahead of tonight's game, here are some pregame Phillies nuggets:
Harrison Bader appeared to have a bandage on the top of his right foot in the clubhouse Thursday afternoon after getting hit by a Gregory Soto slider in the bottom of the sixth inning last night. Bader is still leading off and playing center field, but he'll do so with a guard protecting the foot:
After getting hit on the right foot last night, Harrison Bader now has a guard. He says he plans to wear it during the game. pic.twitter.com/ywLgwJAMoF
Walker Buehler won't officially be activated until Friday, but he's joined the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. The former All-Star will wear No. 31 when he takes the mound against the Kansas City Royals tomorrow.
Buehler did mention that he and the Phillies talked in the offseason when he was a free agent before he ultimately he signed a one-year/$21.05 million deal to join the Boston Red Sox. Not only did fellow Vanderbilt alum Caleb Cotham join a Zoom call to recruit Buehler after he was designated for assignment by the Red Sox and cleared waivers, but so did Rob Thomson and Dave Dombrowski, which the righty seemed to very much appreciate.
One thing Buehler doesn't appreciate is the ABS system that's likely coming to the majors in 2026. He got to experience it during his start for the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs on Sept. 6, and sounded off on it when asked for his thoughts Thursday afternoon:
Andrew Painter pitched five shutout innings for the IronPigs on Wednesday. Painter will pitch again next Wednesday for Lehigh Valley, likely on a five-inning limit. That will be his final start of the Triple-A season, which concludes on Sept. 21. Thomson said "possibly" when asked if Painter will be part of a stay-ready camp after Lehigh Valley's season ends (which is there in case there's an injury or something else unforeseen to a current starter), but said the Phillies really haven't gotten that far yet.
The Phillies will wear their power blue uniforms this evening against the Mets. There is only one remaining powder blue game on the schedule this regular season — Sept. 25 vs. the Miami Marlins.
Tim Kelly is the Managing Editor for On Pattison. He's been on the Phillies beat since 2020. Kelly is also on Bleacher Report's MLB staff. Previously, Kelly has worked for Phillies Nation, Audacy Sports, SportsRadio 94 WIP, Just Baseball, FanSided, Locked On and Sports Illustrated/FanNation. Kelly is a graduate of Bloomsburg University with a major in Mass Communications and minor in Political Science.
