Kyle Schwarber’s deep shots — from Philadelphia to the All-Star Game - often end up going, going, gone.

The Phillies aren’t ready to say goodbye to their star slugger quite yet as Schwarber’s four-year, $79-million contract expires at the end of the season.

Fresh off winning All-Star Game MVP honors after he hit three homers in the game’s first-ever swing-off, Schwarber’s status for 2026 — when Philadelphia will host the game — remained a pressing need for the Phillies.

“We love him. We want to keep him,” Phillies manager partner John Middleton said ahead of Friday’s series-opening game against the Los Angeles Angels.

In the All-Star Game in Atlanta on Tuesday night, he homered on all three of his swings, going down to his left knee on the final one, to give the National League a 4-3, swing-off win after a 6-6 tie through nine innings.

Schwarber enters the second half of the season with 30 homers and 69 RBIs for NL East-leading Philadelphia.

Schwarber led the NL with 46 homers in his first season with the Phillies and followed with 47 in 2023 and 38 a year ago.

“We need no motivation whatsoever when it comes to Kyle Schwarber,” Middleton said. “He’s great. We thought he was great when we signed him years ago. We thought he was great consistently through the years. There’s nothing Kyle does that surprises us. No matter how great he is, we expect that from Kyle. He’s a great person in the dugout. He’s a great person in the clubhouse.”

The 32-year-old Schwarber should command well beyond the $79 million he signed for ahead of the 2022 season.

Schwarber said during the All-Star break that he wanted to keep the focus on helping the Phillies win their first World Series since 2008.

“We had conversations in the spring and obviously they didn’t progress,” he said. “We just kind of tabled them aside and wanted to focus on the season. Obviously, there’s interest on my side. I know there’s going to be interest on their side there coming up at the end of the year. We’re going to see where that takes us. If that’s us striking up a deal, that’s us striking up a deal.”

Ohtani to start pitching longer in outings

Shohei Ohtani will make his next start on the mound on Monday as the Los Angeles Dodgers’ two-way superstar progresses toward longer outings after elbow surgery.

He’ll open with three innings against the Minnesota Twins in his sixth start before giving way to Dustin May, manager Dave Roberts said.

Ohtani also pitched three innings in his last start at San Francisco last Saturday.

“My assumption is that we get up to four innings and then probably a repeat of four,” Roberts said. “At that point then it’s probably a normal game.”

Diamondbacks’ Marte placed on restricted list

Arizona Diamondbacks All-Star second baseman Ketel Marte was placed on the restricted list Friday after his home was burglarized during the All-Star break.

Marte was not in the lineup Friday night gainst St. Louis as he deals with what Scottsdale police called a “high-dollar residential burglary” while he and his family were in Atlanta for the All-Star game.

“He’s dealing with a personal issue, so he asked for some time off, time away, just to get grounded and get himself back to where he can come back here and play and be a force for us,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. “So it’s kind of a day-to-day situation.”

Briefly

Guardians >> Cleveland pitcher Luis Ortiz will remain on non-disciplinary leave through Aug. 31 while he is the subject of a Major League Baseball gambling investigation.

Orioles >> Baltimore right-hander Grayson Rodriguez had a setback in his comeback from an elbow injury and the Orioles have shut him down indefinitely.

Rockies >> The Colorado Rockies reinstated Gold Glove shortstop Ezequiel Tovar from the 10-day injured list. Second baseman Thairo Estrada was placed on the 10-day injured list with a sprained left thumb.

Marlins >> Miami Marlins third baseman Connor Norby will be sidelined for several weeks after having surgery on his wrist. The procedure on Wednesday was to repair a broke hamate bone in his left wrist. The recovery timeline is six to eight weeks.