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Phillies Nuggets: Harper out, Alvarado suspended & more

Bryce Harper won’t play Monday. (Ian D’Andrea)

Philadelphia Phillies right fielder Bryce Harper will be out of the lineup Monday evening against the Milwaukee Brewers, as the team further examines his left wrist.

Harper initially suffered his left wrist injury last Wednesday in St. Louis, when he was hit in the face by Cardinals reliever Génesis Cabrera. Harper’s face actually ended up being OK, and he wasn’t concussed. However, the ball hit off his face and did injure his wrist, keeping him out of the lineup for Thursday, Friday and Saturday’s games.

The six-time All-Star returned to the lineup for Sunday night’s loss to the New York Mets, but appears to have reaggravated the wrist injury. The Phillies believe this took place when Harper was held at third base by Dusty Wathan in the bottom of the sixth inning, forcing him to stop suddenly and his wrist to fly back a bit. This would explain why Harper bunted foul with two strikes in the bottom of the eighth following a visit with the trainers. Harper also struck out swinging to end the game, stranding Rhys Hoskins, the potential tying run, at second base.

When Harper has been on the field in 2021, he’s been excellent, as he’s slashing .317/.446/.598 with six home runs, 17 walks and a 1.043 OPS. However, he lost a game to lower back stiffness in April, and this injury is set to cost him his fourth game Monday, assuming the Phillies game isn’t rained out.

The Phillies hope that Harper won’t need to go on the injured list, but that will depend upon how the 28-year-old progresses in the coming days. In his absence, Odúbel Herrera – who has just one hit (a bunt) in 19 at-bats this season – will start in right field tonight.

The Nuggets

Jean Segura (right quad) and Ronald Torreyes (COVID-related IL) will play in rehab games this week. The expectation is that Torreyes will require a longer stint to build his stamina back up, Joe Girardi said Monday.

After appealing what was initially a three-game suspension, José Alvarado has accepted a two-game suspension that will begin tonight, Girardi confirmed. While Girardi did say that no time is ideal to lose one of your best high-leverage relievers, the reality is that Alvarado really struggled with his command last night, so we don’t know that the Phillies would have used him Monday night anyway.