Phillies President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski has announced that Phillies star outfielder Bryce Harper will have his torn UCL in his right elbow surgically repaired next Wednesday by Dr. Neal ElAttrache. Harper saw Dr. ElAttrache Monday to determine their next steps.
Bryce Harper to have surgery
It is unknown whether Harper will undergo Tommy John Surgery.
“We have no prognosis really until he goes into the elbow and takes a look at it, but he will have surgery,” Dombrowski told reporters. “I would think it will slow him down for the season, but we’ll know more next week.”
While this was an option from the beginning, the Phillies aren’t surprised to be in this situation.
“We know something was wrong there. We just didn’t know what to expect at that point. We always knew this was a possibility, we’ve known that for months really. I think everybody else knew that when he was shut down. We wouldn’t know until he got examined and that was going to wait until the end of the season which is what wound up happening,” Dombrowski said, per ESPN
Harper played only a total of eight games in right field in 2022. He spent the majority of his time in 2022 as a Designated Hitter, while the Phillies originally planned DH, Nick Castellanos, spent the majority of his time in right field.
The Phillies went 32-20 in Harper’s absence in 2022 due to a broken left thumb at the hands of Padre’s Lefty Blake Snell.
Signed to a 13-year, $330 million deal in March 2019, Bryce Harper has been worth every penny for Philly. His professionalism, leadership, endless enthusiasm, and MVP-level output make him a pivotal component of a talented Phillies roster. His heroics in the postseason fuelled the Phillies to their first World Series berth since 2009.
With Harper looking at a somewhat lengthy absence to begin 2023, the Phillies have a plethora of options to hold down the fort until his long-awaited return. Dombrowski and his staff will undoubtedly explore all options, both in-house and the free agent market/trades.
Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire
