Three days out from taking a 95-mph fastball to his right-elbow, Bryce Harper remains out of the lineup on Friday evening for the Philadelphia Phillies. He spent a portion of batting practice doing field work at first base, but has yet to pick up a bat since getting hit by Strider, his third hit-by-pitch in as many games, on Tuesday evening.
Why there is so much concern
Players get hit by a pitch every day in Major League Baseball. During his time with the Phillies, Chase Utley led the League in HBP’s three straight seasons (2007, 2008, and 2009). So why is this particular beaning causing so much trouble?
Not only is getting hit in the elbow a fickle business (they call it the funny bone for a reason), but Harper’s elbow is the same one that was reconstructed when he received Tommy John surgery in 2022.
Luckily for the Phillies, Harper avoided any structural damage to his elbow but is still dealing with a lot of swelling in the area.
”I don’t think [Harper will need an IL stint],” said Rob Thomson **on Friday. “But we’ll just have to see. You’ve got to get the swelling out and get it pain-free or close to it.”
Ground balls and a backup plan
While Harper was not able to swing the bat, he was able to get some positional work in at first base on Friday. In Harper’s absence, Alec Bohm has taken over at first. While Bohm is currently riding a 10-game hitting streak at the plate, he will likely have a scheduled rest day or two coming up soon. When that time comes, utility man Weston Wilson may need to make a spot start or two at first.
Shortly after Harper took ground balls, however, Kyle Schwarber stepped up to first base as well. On his career, Schwarber has played 11 games at first base though he has yet to play there in Phillies uniform. Most of those appearances came for the Boston Red Sox in 2021.
Wherever you place Schwarber in the field, his defense has always left teams wanting. In an effort to get Bohm off of his feet, however, Schwarber just might get a few starts at first base should Harper require an IL stint.
If the Phillies were to make the move to place Harper on the Injured List, it would happen on Saturday. The 15-day IL allows teams to “back-date” an injury up to three days. Given that the injury would be retroactive to Wednesday, making the move then would help them avoid losing Harper for any more time than absolutely necessary.
Thus far, the Phillies have stated that they do not believe an IL stint is necessary for Harper. With the designated hitter making it easier for teams to preserve utility players on the bench, Harper could still wait out his injury until it heals.
Either way, it seems almost certain that Harper will be watching this weekend’s series against the Brewers from the dugout.
Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
