Bryce Harper’s season could be in jeopardy, after the current National League MVP fractured his thumb during Saturday’s game against the Padres. Facing Blake Snell in the fourth inning, Harper had to go down to avoid a 97 mph fast ball that went up and in, but the throw still hit Harper in his left hand, leaving the Phillies batter. with visible pain.
Harper immediately left the game and the Phillies announced shortly after that initial tests revealed the fracture. More details will be known after more tests are done and baseball operations president Dave Dombrowski told reporters (including Matt Gelb of The Athletic) that it is too early to know if Harper will need surgery. As such, the door is not closed to a possible return of Harper, as Dombrowski has “hope to return at some point.”
If surgery is needed, Harper is in danger of missing the rest of the 2022 campaign. Although each specific injury is different, to make a comparison, Jean Segura received a recovery period of 10 to 12 weeks after the Philadelphia’s second base suffered his own fractured finger in late May and had to undergo surgery.
Losing Safe was a brutal enough result for the Phils, but the team bounced back to post their best month of the season. The Phillies had a 22-29 record under former coach Joe Girardi, but after Girardi was fired and Rob Thomson was elevated from bench coach to interim coach, Philadelphia quickly made a 15-6 streak over Thomson’s first 21 games as a skipper.
This race put the Phillies back above the .500 (37-35) mark in tonight’s action, and three games off a National League wildcard spot. However, it’s hard to imagine Philadelphia staying in the race without Harper’s contributions to a disappointing overall lineup. With Harper and Segura out, Kyle Schwarber and Rhys Hoskins are the only regulars to hit well above average.
Harper has already been playing with the pain, as a small tear from UCL has limited him to DH service for more than two months. On the big picture, Harper monopolizes the place DH has not helped in Philadelphia, as Schwarber and Nick Castellanos have been forced to play daily corner roles, much to the detriment of the Philistines ’defense. (And possibly Castellanos’ attack, as he’s had a disappointing year on the plate.) On the lead, Harper’s own bat has still been on fire, as he carried 15 homers and a .320 / .385 / .602. line for tonight’s game against the Padres.
Harper’s UCL tear further complicates matters. If the Phils fall behind in the postseason race, Harper could decide to stop delaying the inevitable and get elbow surgery, closing it for 2022, but probably making sure he would lose little or nothing of it. the 2023 season.
Injuries have long been a subplot of Harper’s career, but he has been relatively enduring in recent years, playing in 515 of the 546 possible games between 2018-21. However, Harper has continued to produce at the Cooperstown level, including his MVP campaign last year. After previously earning NL MVP honors with the Nationals in 2015, Harper became the fifth player in baseball history to win an MVP on several teams, hitting .309 / .429 / .615 with 35 homers and 42 best doubles in the league. with the Phillies last season.
Unfortunately, this production could only help the Phils achieve an 82-80 record, enough to cut a streak of nine consecutive seasons without a win, but not enough to return the club to the playoffs. Harper’s 13-year, $ 330 million contract makes him an easy target for criticism, but Harper’s lack of success in the field is not Harper’s fault, given his large number of more than three. years in Philadelphia.
In the short term, Harper’s absence frees up DH’s place for a Schwarber / Castellanos timeshare, which could create an opportunity for a great defensive upgrade. Dombrowski said Mickey Moniak is being called up to take Harper’s place on the active roster, though Moniak is not an ideal solution for every day. For now, the plan for the Phillies would seem to be to have one from Castellanos or Schwarber in DH in a regular lineup, the other in a corner field position and a rotation of Moniak, Odubel Herrera and Matt Vierling covering the other two fields. positions. On the farm, Scott Kingery, Justin Williams, Jorge Bonifacio and Dustin Peterson are all options, though none are on the 40-man list.
A change would be a way for the Phillies to address the situation, as even if Harper is not gone for the season, the Phillies will not immediately make the white flag in the face of their chances of finally ending it. the drought of the playoffs. That said, Dombrowski could wait for Harper’s status before determining the scope of a future move; if Harper could avoid surgery, this could increase the chances of the Phillies acquiring a more proven everyday gardener, rather than a complementary piece.
For Filis fans looking for a good liner, the obvious compensation is the 2021 Braves, who were only 44-44 when Ronald Acuna Jr. the LCA was broken last July 10th. Although Atlanta seemed doomed, the Braves, on the other hand, renewed their field combination by swapping for Eddie Rosario, Joc Pederson, Adam Duvall and Jorge Soler before the change deadline, and ended up reaching a Series championship. World Cup.
While it may be unreasonable to think that such a scenario could happen to another NL East team in a second straight season, Dombrowski is no stranger to the aggressive mix on the roster. The way the Phillies have recovered in June has given new life to the team’s season, and it would take an immediate, sudden drop for Philadelphia to switch to seller mode before the deadline.
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