2026 MLB Home Run Derby tracker: Kyle Schwarber joins Bryce Harper to compete in Philadelphia
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- Kyle Schwarber joined the 2026 Home Run Derby field on Friday as the second Phillies participant alongside Bryce Harper, leading the majors with 32 home runs this season and racking up 219 homers in 717 games since joining Philadelphia before 2022.
- The Derby takes place Monday, July 13, at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia — the fifth-best home run park in baseball per Statcast — under a new swing-based format with no clock.
- Bryce Harper returned to the Derby for the first time since winning it in 2018 in Washington D.C., making this only his second appearance and his first in front of Phillies fans.
- Junior Caminero (Rays) was the first participant announced on June 30; this is his second Derby after finishing second to Cal Raleigh last year, and his 45 homers in 2025 at age 21 ranked second only to Hall of Famer Eddie Mathews' 47 in 1953.
- Jordan Walker (Cardinals) earned his first Derby at age 24 with a .294/.355/.534 line, 21 home runs, and an MLB-leading 70 RBI — the first Cardinals participant since Albert Pujols in 2022.
- Willson Contreras (Red Sox) committed with a .287/.381/.545 line and 20 home runs in his first Boston season — the first Red Sox participant since Adrián González and David Ortiz in 2011.
- Ben Rice (Yankees, 25 HRs, third in the AL) and Jac Caglianone (Royals, the 2024 No. 6 pick) also joined, filling seven of the eight Derby spots with one remaining; Mike Trout and Yordan Alvarez are sitting out.
Why it matters: With Harper and Schwarber both repping the host Phillies at Citizens Bank Park — a venue Statcast ranks fifth-best for home runs — the 2026 Derby carries a built-in Philadelphia storyline under a new clock-free format. The field skews young and powerful, anchored by Caminero's encore after a 45-homer age-21 season, giving the league a showcase of emerging sluggers alongside established stars.
