Categories: Phillies Nuggets with Tim Kelly

Phillies Nuggets: The latest on Bryce Harper & much more

Bryce Harper is currently on the injured list. (Cody Glenn/Icon Sportswire)

Reigning National League MVP Bryce Harper will have surgery to repair his broken right thumb on Wednesday, Philadelphia Phillies interim manager Rob Thomson said Tuesday afternoon.

Thomson declined to get into specifics on who is performing the surgery and what the expected timeline for his recovery is. He did say that Harper plans to play again this season. Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia reported Tuesday that “there is optimism that he will play again this season after recovery of six weeks, give or take.”

At least for the time being, the Phillies don’t appear to be pondering the idea of Harper having surgery to repair the small tear in his right UCL. Harper received a PRP injection in the elbow on May 15, and there hasn’t yet been on update on whether that was effective enough to prevent Harper from needing a surgical procedure to fix it.

In any event, the Phillies are 39-35 and haven’t made the playoffs since 2011. They have crossed the luxury tax threshold for the first time in franchise history. Thomson is managing for a chance to have the interim tag removed from his title. Things can change, but 2022 appears to be the first and only priority at Citizens Bank Park currently.

“Well, we plan on being in the mix, so we haven’t really talked about that part,” Thomson said of Harper having what would likely be season-ending surgery on his elbow.

Zach Eflin Heads To The Injured List

To clear a 26-man roster spot for outfielder Óscar Mercado, the Phillies placed Zach Eflin on the 15-day injured list Tuesday, retroactive to June 26.

Eflin is dealing with a right knee bruise, and Thomson says that the plan is to get him off his feet and “get that fat pad irritation out of there.” The 28-year-old has had surgery to repair his right patella tendon twice, including last September.

Once the pain in Eflin’s knee subsides, the Phillies will get him back up on the mound and make sure he’s able to field bunts and cover first base, among other things. Listening to Thomson Tuesday, there appears to be a real focus on getting things right with Eflin and making sure that the next time he takes the mound for the Phillies there won’t be another setback.

Eflin has a 4.37 ERA and 3.85 FIP across 58 innings in 2022. The 28-year-old can become a free agent this offseason, though he and the Phillies have a mutual $15 million option for 2023 that might make sense for both parties to exercise.

In his absence, Bailey Falter will join the rotation. Falter is slated to start Friday evening against the St. Louis Cardinals.

The Nuggets

Óscar Mercado is in Philadelphia, wearing No. 35 and active for Tuesday evening’s game. While not in the starting lineup, Thomson sounded bullish on the value Mercado could add as a pinch runner and defensive replacement. The 27-year-old will work with hitting coach Kevin Long in the coming days as the Phillies try to unlock the form that allowed Mercado to post a .761 OPS in 2019.

Even with the addition of Mercado, the Phillies still anticipate Mickey Moniak seeing extended at-bats over the next 10 days as they face a string of right-handed pitchers.
Nick Castellanos had four hits in Sunday’s win over the San Diego Padres, and even though they were all singles, Thomson acknowledged Sunday that bloop hits can start to turn the tide for a hitter. Thomson also noted that Castellanos has been starting to drive the ball to all fields in batting practice, which is an encouraging sign.

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