Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Bryce Harper broke his left thumb Saturday night when he was hit by a pitch from Blake Snell in the fourth inning the Phillies’ 4-2 win at Petco Park.
Harper was on the wrong end of a 97-mile-per-hour fastball and immediately exited the game. The Phillies announced the fracture within the next hour, indicating that Harper will undergo additional tests over the next few days.
At the time of publication, there was no timetable provided for his recovery.
“Things happen for a reason,” Harper said. “Everybody says that. This reason sucks right now, but at the same time, it is what it is. I’ve got to be positive. I’ve got to be positive for the guys in here. I know they’ll pick up the slack. I’m just really bummed for the organization, the guys, the city of Philadelphia, the fans. I love running out there and playing every day. Definitely bummed.”
Despite some elbow injuries this season, Harper has still performed well; he entered Saturday’s game with a .320/.385/.602 batting line, having recorded 21 doubles and 15 home runs.
“It’s a tough pill to swallow,” Phillies interim manager Rob Thomson said. “But they’re not going to cancel any games. We’ve got to play.”
Harper ranks fifth in the National League in batting average, sixth in on-base percentage (.385) and second in slugging percentage (.599).
“It’s devastating, to say the least,” Phillies right fielders Nicholas Castellanos said. “He’s having an All-Star, MVP-caliber year. To lose him for any amount of time is too long. We’re all going to have to step up. Me, definitely included. To carry the weight that we’re going to be missing, it’s got to be done. We are where we are and we’ve won the games that we have, and I still think that there’s a better version of Rhys [Hoskins], I think there’s a better version of J.T. [Realmuto]. There’s a way better version of myself. I think it’s only a matter of time before all those show up. If they show up at the same, baseball can get real fun, real quick.”
Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski indicated this is not a justification or an excuse to not keep performing at the level they have been so far.
“I mean, you just have to do that,” 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 be back at some point. We just need to carry on from here on and do the best job that we possibly can. We’ve still got a lot of good hitters in the lineup.”
Media and fans alike will have to keep a pulse on the Phillies and how aggressive they are on the open market heading into the 2 August trade deadline.
“I kind of wish it would’ve hit me in the face. I don’t break bones in my face,” Harper added, jokingly. “I can take [a] 98 [mph pitch] to the face, but I can’t take 97 to the thumb. Yeah, I was kind of in protection mode a little bit trying to get my hand up there and not let it hit me again. It’s just a bummer. I am really bummed out.”
