June 28: Harper indeed will undergo surgery, tweets Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia. The Phillies are optimistic that he’ll be able to return this season and are expecting an approximate recovery time of six weeks, per the report.
June 27: Phillies star Bryce Harper fractured his left thumb on a hit-by-pitch Saturday night, a development that necessitated an immediate injured list stint. He’s undergone further testing over the past two days to determine the next steps in his treatment, and it seems as if the reigning NL MVP is likely to go under the knife.
Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports that Harper “is expected to need surgery” to repair the fracture. That procedure wouldn’t necessarily end his season, but Lauber indicates it’d cost him at least two months. Even in the (seemingly unlikely) scenario where Harper avoids surgery, he’s looking at a four-to-six week absence at minimum, per the Inquirer.
On the one hand, it’s encouraging to hear that Harper anticipates making a return this season even if he does need to undergo a procedure. Yet the development that he’s likely headed for surgery that’ll cost him eight-plus weeks is obviously a brutal blow for a Philadelphia club that hasn’t staked a strong claim to a playoff spot to this point. The Phils enter play Monday owning a 39-35 record, placing them a game and a half back of the Cardinals for the final National League Wild Card spot (with the Giants also sitting a game above them).
That solid but not excellent showing has been in spite of another stellar year from Harper. He’s hitting .318/.385/.599 with 15 home runs through 275 plate appearances, offense that checks in 66 percentage points above the league average by measure of wRC+. That’s not far off the 170 mark from last season that resulted in his second career MVP. Playing through a UCL tear in his throwing elbow has relegated Harper to designated hitter for much of the season, but he’s remained one of the sport’s most productive offensive players.
Offseason signees Nick Castellanos and Kyle Schwarber will split time between one corner outfield spot and DH while Harper’s out of action. The Phils recalled Mickey Moniak over the weekend to join Odúbel Herrera and Matt Vierling as other options for interim skipper Rob Thomson. Philadelphia grabbed Oscar Mercado off waivers from the Guardians this afternoon to add a center field-capable depth player to the mix. Mercado has followed up a solid 2019 rookie showing with a trio of subpar seasons at the plate that eventually squeezed him off Cleveland’s roster.
Claiming Mercado certainly won’t preclude the Phils from further addressing the outfield over the next five-plus weeks. Center field was likely to be a target area even before Harper’s injury, and probably losing the star slugger through the end of August only figures to increase the club’s urgency for other upgrades. Andrew Benintendi, Anthony Santander, Michael A. Taylor, David Peralta, Tommy Pham and, if the Mariners don’t right the ship in the coming weeks, Mitch Haniger, are among the host of outfielders who could be available at the deadline.
My least favorite player and it is not even close. However, it is never good for the sport for it’s stars to be injured and as much as I don’t like him, I never root for injury.
I do. See you next year, nerd!
Pretty sure Harper has always been himself…At his age the “clown question” response has matured into pure GOLD…
He is still being himself, just an older more mature self….Remember the high fives his first year…? The guy just loves playing baseball…that’s why he is SO LOVED in Philly. He gets us and is now one of us….just grind and grind…Can’t wait til he’s back…He may just be the best talent since Schmidt AND HOW BAD was he misunderstood…
At this point, the Phillies should end Harper’s season right now. Fix his thumb fracture and get the UCL surgery he needs on his elbow in order to play the OF at full strength to start next season. While I appreciate his desire/commitment to play out this season, Harper’s ability to only DH really hamstrings this team as it forces the Phillies to play both Schwarber and Casty in the field and both are major defensive liabilities in the OF.
Harper is trying to repair his elbow issues via PRP injections but those rarely work. Just fix the issue now and ensure that he’ll be fully healthy with no restrictions to start 2023. If he ends up needing a full TJS procedure on his elbow and chooses to wait until the end of this season to do so, he won’t be ready to play the OF to start next season. He could most likely still DH by opening day but position players generally require 6-9 months to come back from a TJS procedure. Get it done now and take all of the speculation and concern about being healthy to start the 2023 season out of the equation. This Phillies team has no shot of winning anything this year but the front office appears to be too focused on just trying to end their playoff appearance drought versus building a true (and healthy) contender for 2023 or 2024. Delaying the surgery decision on Harper’s elbow until October or later only weakens their team to begin next season. It reminds me of the poorly managed Chris Sale decision.
I think its a safe bet to think the difference between Casty in RF/ Harper DHing vs Casty DHing and Vierling playing RF is significant enough to try to get Harper back this year if theres a chance at winning
You do understand that the “fix” for a UCL tear is Tommy John surgery. Doing that now likely costs most of 2023. It’s not that easy of a decision to make.
You do understand that the TJ recovery time for a position player is much less than for a pitcher…
He still would miss at least the first half of next year
The normal recovery time for a pitcher having Tommy John surgery is between 10 and 12 months. For a position player, it can be less, as little as six months but normally closer to eight or nine. That’s Feb-March on the long end, assuming surgery in July.
Heck with that. See you in six weeks Bryce.
Moniak will carry us. Watch out now-Beatnuts
Jlo made them rich!
Time to shut it down and get the tj surgery also.
He doesn’t necessarily need tj surgery. It’s common that his UCL injury heals with the injection and rest.
Well it’s common to try that. it’s not as common for it to work though apparently with him it has.
Keep in mind that not all injuries are reported. Some teams don’t for strategic reasons. I bet that are far more UCL tears on the mend than we know.
Its common for PRP injections to work for position players, just not for pitchers. With 6 weeks of no throwing, the PRP is his best option. If the UCL is still barking then he can consider TJ surgery.
I had a partial tear and PRP injection worked for me
Cool. How long til you were back to watching baseball on your couch?
He was having a career year. Insane offensive numbers. It’s always frustrating when a player goes down because of another’s carelessness, but I thought Harper showing initial anger, frustration and then immediate forgiveness was a pretty cool baseball moment. All of baseballs highs and lows in one instant. Harper has his haters because the media covers his every move, but man the guy is passionate and has matured tremendously. Love watching him, and every one would love that dude on their team.
I’ve always had a strong disdain for him, even before he went to the phils. But you are right. He’s been a tremendous ambassador for the sport this year. I was just thinking the other day how I don’t hate him anymore. Maybe if I still lived near philly i would?
He’s pretty generally loved in Philly outside of the fans who hate everyone who gets paid more than league minimum. Guy has been nothing but hustle and results since coming to the Phillies. Huge clubhouse leader too.
Not having very good control and hitting the player unintentionally is hardly careless. That is about the dumbest take I’ve seen in a while here.
I never said it was intentional. I’ve been defending Snell on that. Careless is probably the wrong word. Snell just stinks. He’s been all over the place all season. He was trying to through inside, but missed way too much. I called that careless, but perhaps I should just say he isn’t good enough anymore. I don’t know what to call it. Definitely not intentional though and I don’t want to imply that it was.
*throw not through
Not cool for an injury, but I did love how the Nationals won the World Series the season after he left…
Where are the Nationals now? They would’ve won with Harper too.
Not making the playoffs, just like the Phillies.
Another clueless fan, thinking Washington won because Harper walked away from them lol
He was on pace for the 3rd best season of his career and not even remotely close to his 2015 production. Half as good as his best season is not a career year.
@savosbiggestfan It depends what you’re looking at. And yes of course half a season is meaningless. I clearly implied that he was on pace, not that he accomplished anything. Injuries are part of the game. I think he had a chance to surpass his 2015 offensive production in a lot of ways. RBIs, OPS+…etc.
No fault of Bryce, things happen but the idea of a $300 million becomes less appealing when you see the results of each contract that has been doled out.
So far Bryce has been a bargain.
It’s not just the numbers, it’s that he’s been the team leader by example….and last year he was the NL MVP.
I mean, they’ve assuredly made back the $300 several times over in tickets,merch, etc alone since his signing.
I believe merchandise sales are pooled and shared equally by all 30 teams.
Leading his team to what great heights? Not making the expanded playoffs?
This isn’t the NBA. 1 player cannot bring a team to the postseason. Also no one said great heights. “Leading by example” was the quote used.
So far he’s been well worth the money. Should recover from a broken finger without lingering issues. We’ll see.
The big question about his recovery will be how soon he can start strengthening his hand after surgery. The sooner he can start strength spans flexibility work, the sooner he can return as an effective hitter.
Bryce is going to look like a deal when his contract is done, imo. It’s only been a few years, and he went from the highest paid baseball guy on a super expensive, long-term contract to one with a value he’s already outperforming.
Of course, this is all just hogwash because none of us know what tomorrow holds. But all things considered, at this point, his deal looks to be a pretty decent deal.
I also struggle mightily to understand the absolute disdain for Harper as denoted throughout these threads by various commenters. Feelings are inherently subjective, so they’re not necessarily going to be rooted in logic, but he’s been a great baseball player through-and-through, especially on the Phillies. I just hate him because he’s not on the Yankees- lol.
You know you guys changed my perspective on this, thanks for that.
Harper is a good man who’s done a lot for charity, but some fans are haters, especially towards very productive players who aren’t on their teams. Harper did one thing when he was a teenager in the minors — blew a kiss at a pitcher after taking him deep — and the haters set that one incident in stone and hung it around his neck as an excuse to hate him for the rest of his career.
And “Clown Question Bro” comment which obviously doesn’t fly well when you’re doing press. Now he plays his part and understands that part of the job.
nd “Clown Question Bro” comment which obviously doesn’t fly well when you’re doing press.
================================
It was a clown question, in several different ways. He doesn’t drink first off. Secondly, the reporter was suggesting that 19 year old kids should be celebrating with beer. They drink anyway, but it is not necessary to make it seem cool.
It was a clown question and Harper was 19. 1st off because Harper is LDS and doesn’t drink. 2nd off because he was 19 and not old enough to drink
An older and more mature Harper walks away if asked something stupid like that now.
Unfortunately, all people seem to remember is the one flippant comment from 10 years ago, when he was 19 years old. Too few people remember the context (which you did a good idea of spelling out), but use it to somehow define Harper’s career.
Dombrowski is trying. He definitely wants a Wild Card playoff spot this year. I thought he’d be a seller at the deadline, but next to Kyle Gibson and maybe a relief pitcher or two, there isn’t much there. Most players that are attractive he probably wants to keep for 2023.
Reminds me of the Mets in 2019 when they kept the team together at the deadline and those guys played their hearts out, but still fell short of a playoff spot. Was fun to watch them.
That’s a good comp. I really wish they fired Girardi earlier. What a huge difference since he’s been gone.
Von, what do you see as the biggest difference since Girardi’s departure? What do you think is making such an impact by his absence? Just curious from an outsider’s perspective…
The Phillies had played the toughest schedule in the league at the time of Girardi’s firing. They were going to improve once playing weaker competition. Managers in baseball directly affect team play way less than people than people realize
Bullpen management is the key here. Girardi is stubborn and refuses to adjust. The Phillies bullpen is awful. Defined roles needed to be changed. Instinct needed to be used. You don’t need to put in a closer just because he’s the closer. Go with the hot hand at the right time. Now that they’re doing that, the bullpen is performing. Also, Girardi had some baffling lineups. Ronk, I have to disagree with you a bit here. Girardi was costing them games against bad teams as well as good, and the Phillies have beaten some good teams during this stretch. Like taking 3 of 4 from the Padres in SD. It’s not just about an easier schedule, although that helped during their 10 in a row stretch. Girardi, had a negative impact on this team. It was obvious.
I get what you’re saying, but there’s only so much a manager can do with a terrible bullpen. It’s baffling to me that a team that has had bullpen problems for years hired an inept buffoon like Dombrowski to run the front office. They had a chance to upgrade the bullpen last winter and Dave got them three tomato cans in Knebel, Hand, and Familia. He also doubled down on bad defense in order to improve the lineup. Bottom line is Dombrowski needed a scapegoat to distract from his own failures so he turned to Girardi
I disagree with some of this. Managers are always scapegoats, but I think it’s clear that Girardi was a problem, not all the problems. Firing Girardi was a step in the right direction and it saved the season. Knebel and Hand may still work out. Both have looked good lately. Familia I thought was a dumb move. It’s hard to fix a pen with FA signings. Who else should they have signed? Look at Kimbrel. These things don’t always work out.
I just don’t understand how you can say firing Girardi saved the season. Again, the Phillies were finally through the nightmare portion of their season and bad teams were coming up on the schedule. Rob Thompson doesn’t have magic beans that suddenly made the team better. Raisel Iglesias and Kenley Jansen were there as legitimate closers and the trade market for relievers is always an option, you just have to get creative sometimes. When you have a reputation like Dombrowski when it comes to bullpens, it’s hard to just dismiss his laundry list of failures
Phillies pen has been historically bad way before Dombrowski was here. And it’s not magic beans. There’s no doubt players were underperforming and woukd have gotten better eventually, even with Girardi. But Girardi has a history of bad bullpen management. Thompson is using the right guys at the right times. It doesn’t always work, but it makes sense. Girardi’s moves were predictably bad. Taking starters out early so closers can get the save. Using 6 or more relivers in a 1-0 game. All things you can’t do with a bad pen. Thompson handles his roster better. He lets the game dictate his decisions. Girardi let his decisions dictate the game.
The Phillies don’t have a terrible bullpen. After Dombrowski made multiple moves to shore up what was a terrible bullpen in 2021 over the offseason, they were slightly below average under Girardi.
The Phillies bullpen has improved from 19th to 10th in MLB since Girardi was fired in just 23 games.
Dombrowski wins. Everywhere he goes. 7 division titles, 2 WS wins. Inept GMs/PBOs don’t continue to win or get new jobs.
Dombrowski didn’t double down on bad defense, he got unlucky and Harper got hurt and had to DH, so Castellanos and Schwarber both had to play OF positions. Then Gregorius got hurt and Camargo had to play SS. Then Segura got hurt.
They made a competitive offer to the only starting CF available in FA, Starling Marte, but would not go to a 4th year. A smart move for a 33 year old player. Schwarber is only a touch behind Marte in WAR even with his terrible defense and is 2nd in the NL in HR with 21 before the break.
Once Girardi was gone the team went 17-6 after a 22-29 start. Girardi was an issue for that team and the results since he is gone make that obvious. Only the Yankees and Braves have had a better record since Girardi was let go.
Don’t forget the other thing, lineup construction. Literally every Philly fan penciled the top 2 OBP guys at the top of our order the minute we signed Schwarber and Castellanos. Girardi had Schwarber and Hoskins 1 & 2 exactly 0 out of 51 games. Thompson did it in game 1 and hasn’t deviated from it. Plus, he picked a lineup and sticks with it rather than changing it every other day.
I don’t know who the Phils have to trade, but perhaps Ian Happ would be a good get.
We have pieces to trade but just not sure it’d be wise to at this point. O’Hoppe is a beast. Painter, Abel and Griff McGarry are ultra promising arms. Marchan is there also. I’d sooner trade him than O’Hoppe but he’s less valuable trade wise.
I can see Dombrowski giving up O’Hoppe, but I’m not sure if it’s wise. Phillies are a fringe playoff team with their star player. Without Harper what are they? How much should they be willing to give him? Obviously if the Phillies lose these next few series, they won’t be buyers. But if they do, what should the Phillies do at the deadline? Real tough spot to be in right now. Can’t sell. Can’t really buy.
Painter, Abel and Griff McGarry are ultra promising arms.
==================================
Abel++ for Reynolds.
Well, they can always trade Harper …. To the Yankees. I mean, he’s going to be out for the season anyway so it’s a win-win right?
Well that all depends if they’re asking for Andujar.
Ohhhh, good call. That’s a bit too much. They can have Frazier though!
Blake Snell is NEVER going to be welcome in Philly!!!
Meh. It wasn’t intentional. To be honest, I don’t think he lasts much longer on the Pads. Maybe not even the majors.
Snell is a headcase that said in an interview that he gets by on 4 hours of sleep a day and plays video games all night.
“Million dollar arm and a ten cent head”
Those of you that have been on this board a while remember me railing against the trade that brought him to the Padres.
Maybe they’ll throw batteries at Snell. Or do they just do that to their own players? Trash.
Yes. Because one incident of a drunken fool over 22 years ago is indicative of an entire fanbase.
I know, it’s sad.
As a Yankee fan, I’m hoping Joey Gallo could be available.
All the star players are getting injured. Not going to have an actual All Star game with all the substitutions.
It hasn’t been an actual All-Star Game since they gave the vote to the fans. It’s a popularity game.
That’s a fair point. I wish they would stop fan votes.
I am a die hard Phillies fan and have been since before Dick (Who was called Richie by the prejudiced Philly media at the time) Allen was RoY but I lost all faith in the All-Star Game when Michael Jack Schmidt was voted as the starting 3rd baseman after he retired.
I understood the fan sentiment but that was just wrong. For a game to be a true all-star game it must be about talent at the time and not popularity,
I have read some player interviews where they have stated that they put more credence in the Players Choice Awards than the CYA, MVP, RoY etc because it is their peers who vote for those.
I believe the issue was that Schmidt retired at the end of May, and the ballots were already printed and voting started for the Game that was only just over a month away. At that point the MLB had no real choice but to let it go. Voting became a way of honoring Schmidt’s career. At that, he only barely beat Chris Sabo.
That same year, Jose Canseco was elected to the AL All-Star Game despite missing the first half of the season with a broken wrist. (He was the defending AL MVP, though.)
Bryce Harper has never been an All-Star as a Philly, despite having a monster year last year. Shows you how meaningless the All-Star game is.
Ironically, this was his year for the ASG. He started off slowly his 2 big seasons, and heated up after the ASG.
The only thing he’ll be heating up this year are his cheesesteaks.
Do those monstrosities taste any better if you heat them up?
The air fryer is a wonderful thing
That is the entire point of an exhibition game. To allow the fans to see their FAVORITE players, not necessarily the best players.
Pads Fans……………………..
Then call it something else. You may not remember or be old enough to remember but the players/coaching staff used to have the vote (until 1970) and it was a true “All Star” game. Ever since they gave the vote back to the fans it has become more and more of a farce.
The fans had the vote years ago as well and the Reds fans stuffed the ballot box electing Reds to all 8 starting positions.
Interesting view. Makes sense. Rename it the MLB All-Star Exhibition and play it for charity.
Isn’t it still essentially an All-Star event, with whomever the fans see as a star? No one guaranteed it would be an “All-Best Player” Game.
Maybe a Taylor or Benintendi…but I don’t see Baltimore trading Santander. They have some players…if they were in the central division, they may be fighting for a playoff spot. Yes, that sounds absurd, but they have seriously improved.
I like the Os comin up… a few solid arms and they might make some noise next year… tough in that division tho, yikes
There could be a silver lining. If they can get the OF straightened out by using Harpers plate appearances…. And other players step up….
If Realmuto and Castellanos play to their expectations, the Phillies will be fine, but they haven’t played that way all year. So it seems unlikely.
A broken finger or thumb usually heals within 6 to 8 weeks, but it can take longer. It may be 3 to 4 months before full strength returns to your hand. Likely won’t be 100% until next Spring. But Bryce at 85% is still All Star level.
Source: Google research while staying at a Holiday Inn Express.
FTT, skip TJS and SIU, waiting DNG for Philadelphia TWA. So ISW, he can be GHA and lead the Phillies to a FPF. TSG!