Oct 6, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos (8) is interviewed after game two of the NLDS against the New York Mets for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images Kyle Ross
Taryn Hatcher confirmed in a social media post Saturday that after three seasons as the dugout reporter for Phillies broadcasts on NBC Sports Philadelphia, she will not be back in 2026.
"Cat's out of the bag, so I'll keep this as short and sweet as possible.
"Sadly, I won't be returning to Phillies coverage this season. At the conclusion of the 2025 season, I was told that my role on the sidelines at NBCSP was being eliminated moving forward.
"While the news was pretty heartbreaking, I have to acknowledge that it was a really fun run. I loved every second of it. I'm grateful for everyone who turned in over the years, and for the wonderful people I've met along the way. 💜"
Both Kevin Kinkead of Crossing Broad and Jeff Blumenthal of The Philadelphia Business Journal have done great reporting on this that I would recommend you read.
But I wanted to add a few thoughts:
1. This has been a pretty open secret in the industry for a while. Taryn also had the same role as the sideline reporter for home Sixers games, and she hadn't appeared on any games this season. It wasn't hard to connect the dots.
2. NBC Sports Philadelphia never should have eliminated Gregg Murphy's job after the 2020 season. He did a great job as the sideline reporter for home and road games. With that said, they brought the gig back for the 2023 season for home games only, and I thought Taryn did a great job. If you don't like how much food was promoted on the broadcast, don't shoot the messenger. That's the network and team deciding to have that on the broadcast, not whoever the sideline/dugout reporter is.
3. With all this said, I'll be interested to see if NBC Sports Philadelphia actually moves forward without a sideline reporter. It's useful at home games for promotion, interviews with former players attending games, etc. But it was even more useful for road games. Remember when Murph was in McCovey Cove when Jake Arrieta hit a home run in 2018? How useful would it have been to have a dugout reporter last year when the Phillies were playing in minor league parks in Sacramento and Tampa Bay? The dugout reporter could have taken fans around the stadium, showing off adjustments made to try to get Sutter Health Park and George M. Steinbrenner Field ready for regular-season MLB games. What would have made sense NBC Sports Philadelphia to go back to having a dugout reporter for home and road games. Instead, it seems like they are leaning in the opposite direction.
