The worst scenario for the Phillies occurred Saturday night, as Bryce Harper suffered a fractured left thumb and is out indefinitely.
Harper was hit in the thumb by a 97 mph Blake Snell fast ball in the fourth inning in San Diego. He immediately fell to the ground, grabbing his left hand and writhing in pain. Visibly frustrated, Harper said something to Snell, who apologized and replied that it was unintentional. Harper called out to Snell that he knew it wasn’t on purpose.
It will be re-evaluated in the coming days to determine the path to recovery and whether to operate on it.
Harper is as irreplaceable as any baseball player. The Phillies just tried it earlier this week when they scored five combined runs in three games that were lost with a bottle. Harper has once again been one of baseball’s top hitters, entering Saturday’s game with .320 / .385 / .602 with 21 doubles, 15 homers and 48 RBIs despite losing nine games. He has six extra-base hits more than anyone in the majors since last year’s All-Star break.
“It’s tough, the year he’s having, the person he is,” Kyle Schwarber said on the post-match broadcast. “It’s a hard blow, but we will have to overcome it. It will obviously be hard, but I think this ball club can withstand that kind of blow. We have a lot of good players and we have to do it. Add one by one and don’t do too much , let ‘s just be ourselves, but when the boys’ numbers are called, we have to ring the bell. “
It has been another difficult but productive year for the current MVP. He has not been able to throw or play on the field since the second week of the season due to a small tear at his UCL. Next week they had to re-examine his elbow. He also lost time earlier this week after a bottle in his hand became infected.
The result of Saturday’s game, a 4-2 victory for the Phillies, was almost a later idea in light of Harper’s injury. The Phils will need more than several batters, specifically Nick Castellanos, who so far has not lived up to expectations. They are also without Jean Segura, who is out until the beginning of September after breaking his finger in a head-on attempt.
The deadline for the change is just over five weeks and the Filis could put their eyes on a gardener or DH. Meanwhile, Mickey Moniak returns to the big leagues.
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