Bryce Harper Comments on His Struggles This Month

The Philadelphia Phillies are struggling with one of their best players not performing up to his standard.

Jul 25, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper (3) looks on before a game against the New York Yankees at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Going into the Major League Baseball All-Star break a couple of weeks ago, there was plenty of optimism surrounding the Philadelphia Phillies, as they were closing the gap between themselves and the first-place Atlanta Braves in the National League East standings.

At the time, they trailed the Braves by just two games and were unquestionably hot.

But since then, they have gone 3-9 and have lost seven of their last eight games. They got shut out 1-0 by the Miami Marlins on Tuesday and wasted a rare gem by starting pitcher Aaron Nola, who allowed just one hit and one run in five innings pitched. In the series finale, the team imploded over the back half of the game.

The recent struggles of nine-time All-Star Bryce Harper have been a culprit for Philadelphia. On Monday, he fully acknowledged that he has been playing poorly of late, per MLB.com.

Bryce Harper shares thoughts on his struggles

Jul 21, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies infielder Bryce Harper (3) reacts after flying out against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the eighth inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“I don’t feel like I’m going through it,” Harper said. “I mean, I am. Obviously. I'm hitting, like, .100 in the month of July. It's not ideal. The swing's not good. Not hitting balls over the plate. Chasing a lot. Just one of those months right now. So just try to fight through it and get to where I need to be.

“I feel it's the same thing every year when I talk to you guys. I go through a spurt of 30 games and it's the same thing.”

To be exact, Harper is batting .169 and has just 14 hits, 10 runs batted in and two home runs in July. He had no hits on Tuesday, and he has gone hitless in four of his last six games before hitting an RBI triple on Wednesday. Coming into July, his batting average was a solid .275, and his OPS was at .908, but after the team's most recent loss, he's batting .252 with an OPS of .848.

He's chasing pitches more than he has all year, and he's even struggling mightily to hit pitches that are in his strike zone.

Harper made it clear that his struggles aren't the result of some sort of injury.

Bryce breaks out the triple goggles 👌 pic.twitter.com/J3H2b4Vsbx

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) July 29, 2026

“I'm healthy,” Harper said. “I feel good. My body feels strong. It's just not going right now. It's not. And I know that. I'm doing everything I can. Right? I'm trying, but again, I think it’s just ... the chase and not hitting the pitches in the zone. I feel like I tell you guys this every year. I just haven't done it.”

Overall, the Phillies' bats have been silent throughout July. Entering play on July 29th, the team was 24th in runs batted in, 25th in batting average and first in strikeouts this month.

At times, even when it has manufactured a robust number of runs this month, it has also given up plenty of runs, which was the case on Monday when it lost 8-7 to Miami after allowing Miami to score three runs in the bottom of the ninth inning.

It now has a 57-51 record and trails the Braves by six games in the standings. As a result, pressure is mounting for the organization to make some sort of splash before the trade deadline on Aug. 3.

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