Philadelphia Phyllis slugger and NL MVP Governor Bryce Harper suffered a broken left thumb Saturday night against San Diego Padres in Petco Park (GameTracker). Harper took a Blake Snell speedball at 97 mph into his hand and was out of the game immediately. Velez announced the fracture shortly thereafter and said Harper would undergo additional tests in the coming days. They did not provide a timetable for his recovery.
Here is a video of the wrong pitch. Snell apologized, and although he was clearly in pain and understandably upset, Harper seemed to tell Snell that he knew he didn’t hit him on purpose as he walked off the field.
Harper was restricted to DH duty for most of the season due to an elbow ligament injury. Still, he’s had a great season, earning a .320/.385/.602 hitting streak with 21 doubles and 15 hits in Saturday’s game. He ranked seventh in baseball in extra base hits (37) and eighth in total base hits (145). Simply put, Harper is irreplaceable.
“Things happen for a reason,” Harper told reporters. Including MLB.com, after the game. “Everyone says that. That’s why it’s annoying now, but at the same time, it’s what it is. I have to be positive. I have to be positive for the players here. I know they’re going to pick in the slump. I’m just really upset with the organization, the guys, and the city Philadelphia, the fans. I love running there and playing every day. Definitely annoyed.”
Harper was having one of the best seasons of his career, despite playing since mid-April with a tear in his right arm. He hits 0.318 with 15 home runs, 48 RBI, and 0.984 OPS. It ranks fifth in the NL in batting average, sixth in percentage based (.385) and second in lag percentage (.599).
Phillies will put Harper on his 10-day casualty list on Sunday. Triple-A Lehigh Valley Defender Mickey Monyak It will take its place in the list. They hope he arrives in time for the series finale on Sunday.
“It’s a hard pill to swallow,” said Rob Thompson, interim manager of Phyllis. “But they will not cancel any game. We have to play.”
Thompson said the Phyllis will take on Harper as DH Nick CastellanosAnd the Kyle Schwarber and others. But every hitter will need to step up.
They know that.
“It’s devastating, to say the least,” Castellanos said. “He’s having an All-Star Year, the best player in the world. Losing him for any length of time is too long. We all have to move on. I’m, definitely included. To carry the weight we’re going to be missing out on, it has to be done.”
“We are where we are and have won the games we have, and I still think there is a better version of Rhys [Hoskins]I think there is a better version of JT [Realmuto]. There is a way better version of myself. I think it’s only a matter of time before all of those appear. If they show up at the same time, baseball can have real fun, and real fast.”
The Phillies’ chief of baseball operations, Dave Dombrowski, reported that the Braves won the World Series last year without Ronald Acuña Jr., who suffered a season-ending knee injury on July 10.
They finished the regular season 44-29. Padres Fernando Tates Jr. did not have this season. They are 45-29.
Chase Utley broke his right hand on July 26, 2007. He returned on August 27. Phillies went 15-13 without him.
“I mean, you just have to do it,” Dombrowski said. “You lose good players. Again, I don’t know how long he’s going to be out at this point, but, hopefully he’ll come back at some point. We just need to move on from here on out and do what’s the best job we can do. We still have a lot of hitters.” The best in the squad.”
It is not known if Dombrowski will attempt an outside move to boost the squad. It’s too early to say how Harper’s injury could change the team’s plans at the August 2 trading deadline.
“It just happened,” Dombrowski said. “We need to see how we play. I still hope we can play well. We still have a good club.”
Harper fell to the ground as soon as the pitch hit him. It looked bad, and it was. Dombrowski and others thought he hit Harper’s face, which happened to him in April 2021 in St. Louis. Harper somehow got away with it with only a bruised forearm from the ricochet.
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“I wish it would hit me in the face,” Harper said. “I don’t break bones in my face. I can take 98 to my face, but I can’t take 97 to the thumb.”
Harper finally got up. He shivered while holding his thumb. Snell cried out in frustration. The two have known each other for years. They text each other during the game. Harper said they are fine.
“Obviously I felt a terrible beating for him,” Snell said. “We talked; we dealt with it. It was never anything. He is just emotional. He plays with great passion, and I can understand why he is angry. I am just as upset as him.”
The recovery time for some broken thumbs appears to be four to six weeks. Reds player Tyler Stephenson fractured his right thumb earlier this month. The Giants are the first baseman Brandon Belt to fracture his thumb last September. Realmuto broke his right thumb in February 2021.
Each received an estimated recovery period of four to six weeks.
But again, Harper won’t know how dangerous his break is until next week.
“I’ve never broken anything in my life,” he said. “This is new to me…it’s a big deal.”
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Todd Zolecki has covered the Phillies since 2003, and for MLB.com since 2009. Follow him Twitter And the Facebook .
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Meanwhile, Phillies’ character who has Kyle Schwarber or Nick Castellanos shares DH duty with the more efficient defensive Matt Ferling who sees a more consistent playing time on the field. Mickey Moniak, first pick in the 2016 draft, came in at .279/.326/.558 in Triple-A and could take a look. Of course, the Phillies could make a deal depending on how long Harper recovers.
Needless to say, losing Harper for any length of time is a devastating blow to the Phillies team trying to climb into the post-season mix. They are 15-6 since replacing coach Joe Girardi with bench coach Rob Thompson earlier this month. Between National League teams, only Atlanta Braves (18-4) They have a better league record during that time. Sportsline expects Phillies’ chances of making the playoffs at 17.2% if Harper is sidelined for one month.
Even with the hot streak after Girardi, the Phillies came into Saturday three games behind the third and final wild card place. Phillies have not been to postseason since 2011 and they have their longest postseason dry spell.