Kyle Joseph Schwarber (born March 5, 1993) is an American professional baseball left fielder and designated hitter for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Chicago Cubs, Washington Nationals, and Boston Red Sox. Schwarber also plays for the United States national baseball team in international play.
Schwarber played college baseball for the Indiana Hoosiers and was selected by the Cubs in the first round of the 2014 MLB draft. He made his MLB debut with the Cubs in 2015 and was a member of the Cubs’ 2016 World Series championship team. In 2021, Schwarber signed with the Nationals and was later traded to the Red Sox; he also made his first All-Star appearance.
Schwarber signed with the Phillies in 2022. He led the National League in home runs that season, earned his second All-Star appearance and his first Silver Slugger Award, and played with the Phillies during the 2022 World Series. Schwarber was again named an All-Star in 2025, winning the game's MVP Award. Following the 2025 postseason, he holds the all-time records for most National League Championship Series home runs (11), most postseason home runs by a left-handed batter (23), and most postseason leadoff home runs (5). His 23 postseason home runs are also tied with George Springer for the third most in MLB history. Known for his powerful, hard-hit home runs and high walk rate in contrast to his low batting average. On August 28, 2025, Schwarber became the 21st player in MLB history to hit four home runs in one game. In 2026, Schwarber was named to his fourth All-Star Game.
Schwarber attended Middletown High School in Middletown, Ohio. During his four years, he batted .408 with 18 home runs and 103 runs batted in (RBIs). Schwarber was also a standout football player at Middletown, garnering Second Team All-Ohio Honors as a linebacker his senior year.
Schwarber enrolled at Indiana University Bloomington to play college baseball for the Indiana Hoosiers. As a freshman in 2012, Schwarber was named a freshman All-American by Louisville Slugger and Collegiate Baseball Newspaper after hitting .300/.390/.513 with eight home runs and 47 RBIs. As a sophomore in 2013, he hit .366/.456/.647 with 18 home runs and 54 RBIs in 61 games. He was named a first-team All-American by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) After the season, Schwarber played for the United States collegiate national team during the summer. As a junior, he batted .348/.456/.643 with 13 home runs. He was a finalist for the Johnny Bench Award. He majored in recreational sports management.
In the 2012 college offseason, Schwarber played for the Wareham Gatemen of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL). After winning the league championship with the Gatemen, Schwarber was awarded the playoff's most valuable player award. In June 2019, it was announced that he would join the CCBL Hall of Fame class of 2019.
Schwarber was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the first round, fourth overall, in the 2014 Major League Baseball draft. He signed on June 11. Upon being drafted, MLB.com analyst Bernie Pleskoff profiled Schwarber as a "game-changing" power-hitter. However, Pleskoff was critical of his base-running and fielding skills, commenting, "Schwarber is sluggish on the bases and slow defensively." ESPN's Keith Law echoed a similar sentiment in his draft profile, noting, "Schwarber might have the most raw power of any prospect in the class." Two pre-draft scouting reports by the MLB Scouting Bureau compared Schwarber's swinging mechanics to those of Jeff Bagwell, while also projecting him to play a role similar to Matt Stairs.
He made his professional debut with the Boise Hawks three days later, going 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBI. The Cubs then promoted him to the Kane County Cougars of the Class A Midwest League and the Daytona Cubs of the Class A-Advanced Florida State League before the end of the season. In 72 total games between the three teams, he slashed .344/.428/.634 with 18 home runs, 53 RBI, and 18 doubles.
Schwarber began the 2015 season with the Double-A Tennessee Smokies of the Southern League. In July 2015, he played in the All-Star Futures Game, where he was named the MVP of the game after hitting a go-ahead two-run triple for Team USA.
The Cubs promoted Schwarber to the major leagues on June 16, 2015, to serve as a designated hitter for six games during interleague play.
Schwarber made his major league debut as a position player that night, replacing ejected starting catcher Miguel Montero in the eighth inning against the Cleveland Indians at Wrigley Field. The following night, as a designated hitter, he got four hits in five at bats with two RBI and six total bases after the Cubs and Indians both traveled to Cleveland.
The Cubs sent Schwarber to the Triple-A Iowa Cubs of the Pacific Coast League after the six games. On July 16, 2015, Schwarber was recalled from Triple A Iowa, to rejoin the Cubs due to an injury to catcher Montero. On July 21, in a 5–4 extra-inning victory over the Cincinnati Reds, Schwarber hit a game-tying two-run homer in the ninth inning and a solo go-ahead home run in the top of the 13th to give the Cubs the lead. Over the course of the season he split time between catcher and outfield positions. He finished the 2015 regular season having played 69 games, recording a .246 batting average with 16 home runs, 52 runs scored, and 43 RBI in just 273 plate appearances. In the National League Wild Card Game, Schwarber drove in three runs and hit a long two-run home run to help the Cubs defeat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 4–0, and advance to the Division Series against the St. Louis Cardinals. In the NLDS, Schwarber helped the Cubs to a 3–1 series victory with two home runs, including a mammoth Game 4 homer that landed on top of the new Wrigley Field scoreboard in right field. The ball was removed during the 2015–16 off-season to prevent theft but was encased in Plexiglas and returned "to where it landed". In his eighth career postseason game, a 5–2 loss to the New York Mets in Game 3 of the 2015 National League Championship Series (NLCS), Schwarber set a Cubs record with his fifth career postseason home run and also the record for the most home runs in a single postseason by a player age 22 or younger, passing Miguel Cabrera.
Schwarber only played two games before he was involved in an outfield collision with teammate Dexter Fowler on April 7, 2016, and was removed from the game with a left leg injury. Schwarber tore the anterior cruciate ligament and lateral collateral ligament in his left knee, and would miss the rest of the 2016 season. Despite being injured, there were many trade rumors surrounding Schwarber during the season, especially regarding the Cubs' desire for a premium reliever. Club president Theo Epstein addressed Schwarber's situation by saying it "wouldn't be right to trade him". The Cubs eventually acquired closer Aroldis Chapman from the New York Yankees without having to give up Schwarber. As the Cubs advanced further into the postseason, an unexpectedly fast recovery made the return of Schwarber increasingly more of a possibility. Schwarber participated in a successful on-field workout with the team at Dodger Stadium before Game 3 of the 2016 NLCS. On October 22, Schwarber went to the Arizona Fall League to play with the Mesa Solar Sox, the same day the Cubs played in Game 6 of the NLCS.
The Cubs added Schwarber to their roster for the 2016 World Series, and started him in Game 1 as their designated hitter. Schwarber's addition to the Cubs' starting line-up was surprising given he had not played in a Major League game since his injury in April. Schwarber hit a double off the right-field wall in the 4th inning of Game 1. He became the first major league position player in baseball history to get his first hit of the season during the World Series. He was not medically cleared to play on defense, and only made appearances as a pinch or designated hitter. Schwarber and the Cubs defeated the Indians in seven games to claim the Cubs' first World Series championship in 108 years. During the World Series, Schwarber recorded seven hits, including one double, two RBI, and one stolen base while batting for a .412 batting average and maintaining a .500 on-base percentage.