Bryce Harper will be sidelined indefinitely with a broken left thumb after being hit by a Blake Snell pitch in the Philadelphia 4-2 victory over the San Diego Padres Saturday night.
“I’d like him to touch my face,” said Harper, who wore a splint on his thumb. “I do not break bones in my face. I think I can catch 98 [mph] on the face, but not 97 on the thumb. Yeah Al that sounds pretty crap to me, Looks like BT aint for me either. It’s just a shame. I’m really discouraged. “
The current NL MVP, who only missed a few games last year when he was hit in the face by a fast ball from Genesis Cabrera in St. Louis, checked his swing while the 97 mph fast ball de Snell rode in and very high towards his shoulder before hitting him. on the outside of the left hand at the fourth entrance. Harper immediately fell to the ground and felt a visible pain as he grabbed his hand while he was on his knees for a few minutes with Phillies head coach Paul Buchheit attending to him.
Phillies general manager Dave Dombrowski, who traveled with the team during the trip, said it was too early to determine if surgery would be needed. He added that he was not sure what type of fracture Harper had or where the thumb injury occurred. Harper said he would see a specialist when he returned to Philadelphia.
“We’ll put him on the injured list,” Dombrowski said. “At first I was worried they would hit me in the face. I worried right away because he’s a tough guy and he left the field right away.”
When Harper was halfway to the Philadelphia dugout, he seemed to shout angrily at Snell and gestured with his hand to the Padres’ opening pitcher. Snell finally called out to Harper. Many Petco Park fans started booing Harper after several seconds with Harper yelling at Snell.
Then Harper seemed to cool off and say, “I know, I know” to Snell, acknowledging that the pitcher didn’t want to hit him with the field of play.
“It didn’t heat up at all,” Harper said. “It was just the moment and a shitty situation. I’ve been playing against Blake since we were 10 or 11, so I know there was no ill will behind that. The inside field is part of the game. It’s a great player and also a great human being. I wish him all the best and I told him to keep throwing it inside the fastball because it puts this slider very well. “
Snell texted Harper and said the two are on good terms.
“Obviously, I felt terrible hitting him,” Snell said. “I don’t do that and he knows it. We talked, we managed it. He plays with a lot of passion and I understand why he would be upset. I’m as upset as him, I hit him … I just hope he recovers quickly and comes back and continues competing “.
Snell added that he and Harper would see each other after the game on Saturday or Sunday.
Philadelphia will now have to move on for much or perhaps the rest of the season without its biggest bat producer and run to Harper. Harper is hitting .318 with 15 homers, 48 RBIs and an OPS of .984 this season in 64 games despite a small tear in his right elbow UCL that has prevented him from playing on the field since April 16th. He has tried to avoid it. Tommy John surgery ending the season with a platelet-rich plasma injection and rest.
“He’s a guy who really isn’t replaceable individually, but we’re going to have to be in a position where other people are going to have to step up,” Dombrowski said. “We will make a move to try to get someone here [on Sunday]. ”
Dombrowski said gardener Mickey Moniak, the 2016 No. 1 pick who has fought in a limited action in the majors, would be an option to be called up to help make up for Harper’s loss.