Right as the Phillies started to get healthy, the injury bug strikes again.
Tuesday night saw the return of big time sluggers Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber from the injured list. Phillies manager Rob Thomson previously said they would not push it or rush either player back, but if they were ready to go – they were going to play.
During a 10-1 drubbing of the Dodegrs, Thomson made some changes that would normally be expected due to the lopsided score. However, after the game and prior to Wednesday’s contest – it was revealed those reasons were anything but normal. One of those moves was removing the freshly-returning first baseman. Let’s check in on all the injuries from yesterday’s game.
Phillies Injuries
Bryce Harper (hand)
Harper was removed from the game yesterday prior to the seventh inning. During the manager’s post-game press conference Tuesday, he indicated that Bruce was taken out just because of the score. He would add “that hand is fine.” This afternoon it was revealed that the All-Star starter at first was dealing with a sore hand, his glove hand more specifically.
Thomson claimed the initial bruise happened on a backhand play on a ground ball from Freddie Freeman in the first, but it could have also happened on this play – a grounder off the bat of Miguel Rojas:
Either way, just like any other minor injuries Thomson is taking precautions with his players to ensure they don’t push it and are ready for the long haul.
Zack Wheeler
Another All-Star who the Phillies will rely on for what they hope to be a deep postseason run – Wheeler was yesterday’s starting pitcher and unfortunately was pulled from the game early. There was some initial confusion during the broadcast, as his pitch count was in a good place. After five innings, he was lifted for the bullpen. It was revealed in the sixth that he was removed as a precaution with “left lower back tightness.” Rob Thomson spoke about it after Tuesday night’s victory:
“We had that long bottom of the fourth where we scored six runs, they made a pitching change. He sat for a long time and his back just tightened up a little bit. We got him through the fifth and got him out. Precautionary. We’ll check him again tomorrow.”
Rob Thomson post-game July 9, 2024
When asked about Wheeler during today’s pregame availability, Thomson said the team did a MRI and there was no structural damage. He added “we’re not sure yet, we’ll know tomorrow” when asked if the Phillies ace will make his next start.
Hes still a little sore today. We got an MRI, there’s no structural damage. We’re going to be very precautious. will he start on Sunday? We’re not sure yet, we’ll know tomorrow.
The Reporters at Phillies Nation caught up with Wheeler himself after Tuesday’s game to ask him about how he was feeling. You can read more at the link above. Per their reporting – he said that the area has bothered him for “probably his last two starts,” and he believes he may have tweaked it landing hard on the mound at Citizens Bank Park before the most recent roadtrip.
Johan Rojas
In the midst of a productive night at the plate (2-for-3, 2 runs, 1 RBI), Rojas was hit by a pitch in the right wrist in the bottom of inning No. 7. He stayed in to run, but was removed for Cristian Pache in the top of the eighth inning. When speaking with media Postgame, Thomson said the team didn’t even get x-rays on the young center fielder.
Prior to today’s game, Thomson would add some detail for the media gathered in the dugout:
“He could play (today), but any time with hand and foot injuries I’m a little bit leary it might change your swing a little bit. If this were a playoff game or anything like that, he would be able to play
Audio courtesy of Dave Uram, KYW Newsradio
Until more is known on Wheeler, it ultimately seems like the Phillies avoided the worst news with so many injuries in one night. Time will tell if anything lingers for Harper and Wheeler, and Rojas should be set to play shortly according to the Phillies manager. For a team that has dealt with adversity with a ‘next man up’ mentality, it seems there was no sweating after Tuesday night.
Photo Credit: AP Photo/Matt Slocum
