Philadelphia Phillies slager Bryce Harper is currently treating a traumatic injury: he has a partially torn ligament (UCL) in his elbow.
The reigning NL MVP (and Player of the Week) outside the lineup for the third consecutive game on Wednesday, has raised some concerns among Philis front office members, coaches and of course fans.
But if everything goes well, he can return tomorrow.
The thing is that he will do it as a designated hitter: unfortunately, Phyllis will not be able to keep him on the field for some time.
“Bryce Harper is not expected to play on the right field before the All-Star break because he was told not to throw for six weeks from Sunday’s PRP injection. The original timeline was four weeks. Matt Brain of the Philadelphia Inquirer reported via Twitter that it would take time to build arm strength before playing on the field again six weeks later.
Bryce Harper is not expected to play on the right field before the All-Star break as he was told not to throw for six weeks from Sunday’s PRP injection. The original timeline was four weeks. After those six weeks, it will take time to increase the strength of the hand before returning to the field.
– Matt Breen (matt_breen) May 18, 2022
Phyllis has to use the DH spot exclusively on Harper for a while
This is less than ideal for various reasons.
First, Harper has a hand cannon in the outfield and the team misses that element without him.
In addition, the use of the designated heater spot on the harper reduces the flexibility of the lineup going forward.
Of course, Harper may not be a better nominated hitter, but he is a great outfielder, and can force the DH manager to sit on a player he doesn’t want to sit on.
Anyway, at least he didn’t go down without explaining himself first.
Harper is having another great season, dropping .305 / .361 / .634 with nine home runs and a .995 OPS.
He could compete for his third MVP award if the injury doesn’t get in his way.