These days, one of the lingering questions in Phillies camp will be whether Bryce Harper can return to his “elite” status again.

Of course, it began weeks ago when president Dave Dombrowski awkwardly stated whether Harper could reach that status again. From there, the pot has been stirring, and there isn’t any indication that it will stop soon.

What do you think? Do we need to see MVP numbers from Harper this season to help the Phils make a deep postseason run?

In this version of my Behind the Plate column, I’ll take a look at Harper’s situation and the trickle-down effect, other Phillies confrontations with management, and some baseball trivia.

Additionally, I’ll recall the career of a former Panther Valley diamond hero.

The Votes Are In ... In a recent Times News Sports Facebook poll, the question was posed on whether Harper is expected to have an elite season.

In an overwhelming fashion, 75 percent believed Harper wouldn’t have a solid season, while 25 percent still believe he can have one.

Harper’s Folly ... Last season, Harper hit .261 and his OPS was .844, marking his lowest average since 2016 and lowest OPS since 2019. He did hit 27 homers and drove in 75, which was respectable. In the postseason against the Dodgers, Harper was 3-for 15 without an RBI.

Harper’s chase rate was 35.6 percent, the highest since 2022. Since his MVP season of 2021, Harper has chased out of the zone over 30 percent of the time.

Harper will likely be penciled in as the team’s No. 3 hitter this season, and the Phils are searching for an effective cleanup hitter behind him. Harper is most effective in the third spot, as he hit only .250 batting second.

Ex-Phil Nick Castellanos, J.T. Realmuto, Kyle Schwarber, and Alec Bohm were the primary cleanup hitters last season, with Castellanos spending the majority of the time there.

However, the overall cleanup hitters combined for just a .242 average and a .720 OPS.

Bohm Bound ... Bohm will begin his contract year this season, as he is currently set to be a free agent in 2027.

Last season, Bohm hit .287 with 11 homers and 59 RBIs in 120 games due to a shoulder injury. In 2024, Bohm had 70 of his 97 RBIs, and 97 in 2023 from the four hole.

However, Harper recently made the comment, “Whoever is in that four spot has a big job to do.”

Huh? Talk about support.

It may not have been a direct dig at Bohm, but the implications didn’t help.

Bohm isn’t perceived as the answer at clean-up, but his numbers really aren’t bad. So far, Dombrowski has indicated that he is looking in a different direction.

Yet, Dombrowski has had the propensity of exploring trade options for Bohm, and may still head in that direction if prospect Aidan Miller develops quickly.

New Kid In Town ... If the Phillies don’t have enough confidence in Bohm, they may turn to newcomer Adolis Garcia.

Garcia is coming off a 19-homer, 75-RBI, .227 season primarily in the cleanup hole with Texas. He also basically hit there in 2024, when he hit 25 homers and drove in 85 with a .224 batting average.

The Phils are confident Garcia can return to his 2023 form when he smacked 39 homers with 107 RBIs and a .245 average, while he had an .836 OPS and a career-high 65 walks. However, Garcia has been plagued by strikeouts, as he fanned more than 175 times in four of his five full seasons in Texas.

Like Harper, Garcia’s chase rate has been on the rise the past three seasons. He was at 29.3 percent in 2023, 33.6 in 2024, and 35.7 in 2025.

In The Hole ... Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe won’t be ready for opening day, and the 26-year-old can actually have his free-agency pushed back to 2030 instead of 2029 with an extended stay at a Triple-A rehab. He will need to have 172 days on the Yanks’ roster.

However, keep an eye on 21-year-old prospect Roderick Arias. He got off to a hot start with a grand slam, and has fielded well. Arias hit .295 at Single-A Tampa last season, where he spent the last two years.

Exes and Hopefuls ... According to several reports, Harper was lobbying Dombrowski to bring former Phillie and fan favorite Rhys Hopkins back.

Hoskins was sidelined most of last season with a finger injury, and hit .232 with 12 homers and 43 RBIs with the Brewers. In six years with the Phillies, Hoskins belted a total of 148 homers, and proved to be an effective hitter behind Harper.

However, Hopkins signed a minor-league deal with Cleveland Sunday.

Walker Buehler, who was 3-0 down the stretch last season, was seen as an insurance policy for the starting staff and bullpen this season. But Buehler inked a minor-league deal with the Padres last Friday.

The Phils have journeymen pitchers Bryse Wilson, Alan Rangel, and Connor Gillespie as an extra starting arm.

Sending Signs ... Here are a collection of tidbits from around the baseball world.

Pirates’ great Roberto Clemente originally signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1954 for $5,000 and a $10,000 signing bonus. But the Dodgers failed to protect him in the Rule V draft, and Pittsburgh picked him up ... In 1983, the Dodgers’ Fernando Valenzuela became the first player to earn $1 million through arbitration ... Joe DiMaggio was a vice president and batting coach for the A’s in 1968 and 1969. Apparently, DiMaggio needed two active years to gain a full pension ... Rollie Fingers was ready to sign a free-agent contract with the Reds in 1985, but he wouldn’t shave off his handlebar mustache as the Reds requested. In Feb. 1987, Vida Blue signed a free-agent contract reuniting with the A’s, but retired a month later.

Readers Write

Harper Will Find His Mark

Dear Jeff,

I am hopeful Bryce (Harper) can look within himself and find that elite status again.

The Phillies need him to produce. He needs to be more disciplined at the plate and work the count. I think he still has it in him to hit for both average and power, but the “showman” needs to show up during the season and the playoffs (if they get there).

Melissa Hager

Lehighton

One Unique Bobblehead ... On May 8, the Orioles will be giving away a Tupac Shakur bobblehead to the first 20,000 fans in their game against the A’s.

Shakur was born in East Harlem, but spent four years of his youth in Baltimore.

To me, this is a head scratcher.

Other “Elite” Disputes ... Over the years, the Phillies have had some disputes between a player and management.

In 1999, Phils’ GM Ed Wade called Curt Schilling “wrong,” “self-serving,” and “a horse’s ass” after the pitcher criticized management for their lack of competitiveness and low payroll. Schilling was traded to Arizona in July 2000.

In January 1950, Phillies’ pitchers Jim Konstanty and Ken Heintzelman, along with infielder Willie “Puddin’ Head” Jones, returned their contracts to management. President Bob Carpenter resolved the conflicts with Konstanty and Jones, but he was miffed over Heintzelman, who eventually signed. Heintzelman topped the team in wins in 1949 with a 17-9 record.

During that same year, Robin Roberts held out for more money in spring training, but ultimately signed before the season.

In case you forgot, both of those were before their pennant-winning season.

Dave Cash left the Phillies to sign a free-agent deal with the Expos after the 1976 season. There wasn’t a contract dispute, but Cash’s wife reportedly accused the club of being racist, playing into her husband’s exit.

Solve The Problem ... There’s already plenty of speculation that baseball will have a work stoppage next year, mainly over a salary cap.

Negotiations between the owners and players union will begin once the season commences. The owners have struck the first move, reportedly raising the minimum wage of $780,000 and lowering the service time to reach arbitration.

Also, an initial cap proposal would begin at $140-60 million, and its ceiling would be $260-80 million.

Scrapbook ... In each column, I’ll peel back the pages to review the career of a former local standout.

Gary Evans, a 1974 graduate, starred in baseball and football at Panther Valley.

Evans played third base for four years. In his senior year, he won the Carbon County-Panther Valley area batting title with a .473 average. He was also selected to the Northern Division Schuylkill County Baseball League.

In addition, Evans helped the Panthers to an overall 17-4 record as a quarterback. Evans was an All-Lower Anthracite team and All-Schuylkill County Football team choice.

He also was selected into the Who’s Who in National High School Athletics as National Football All-American for the 1973-74 season as a quarterback.

Your comments are always welcomed and will be published; email them to tnsports@tnonline.com