The worst-case scenario for the Phillies happened Saturday night as Bryce Harper suffered a broken left thumb and was out indefinitely.
Harper hit the thumb with a fastball from Blake Snell at 97 mph in the fourth inning in San Diego. He immediately fell to the ground holding his left hand and writhed in pain. Visibly frustrated, Harper said something to Snell, who apologized and replied that it was unintentional. Harper shouted back to Snell that he knew it wasn’t on purpose.
He will be re-evaluated in the coming days to determine the course of his recovery and whether surgery is required.
Harper is as irreplaceable as any baseball player. The Velez got a taste of it earlier this week when they scored five runs in three games he missed due to a blister. Harper was once again one of the top hitters in baseball, entering Saturday’s game recording .320/.385/.602 with 21 doubles, 15 home runs and 48 RBI despite missing nine games. He has six more hits from base than anyone else in a major since last year’s All-Star vacation.
“It’s a tough year, he’s the person he is,” Kyle Schwarber said in the post-match match. “It’s a hard blow but we have to beat it. It’s obviously going to be tough but I think this ball club can handle that kind of blow. We have a lot of good players and we have to go up one by one and not do much, just be ourselves, but when Men’s numbers are called, we have to answer the bell.”
It has been another difficult but productive year for the best player in the world. He has not been able to throw or play on the field since the second week of the season due to a small tear in the Champions League. His elbow was due to be re-examined next week. He also missed the time earlier this week after a blister on his hand became infected.
Saturday match result Velez won 4-2It was almost an afterthought in light of Harper’s injury. The Phils will need several more hitters, specifically Nick Castellanos, who has not lived up to expectations up to this point. They are also without Jean Segura, who will be out until early September after breaking his finger in an unusual attempt.
The trade deadline is just over five weeks away and the Villains can set their sights on a defensive player or DH. Meanwhile, Mickey Monyak is on his way back to the major leagues.
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