It’s been so long since Bryce Harper last played in the outfield that a reporter who doesn’t cover the Philadelphia Phillies asked Rob Thomson to remind him what prevented the two-time National League MVP from playing in right field for the majority of the 2022 season.
“Well, it was awhile ago now, but I’ll try and remember what happened,” Thomson said before Game 4 of the World Series. “About the time he broke his thumb he was about ready to start a throwing program and start progressing through that. And because of the pins in his thumb, he couldn’t do anything because the sweat would get in there and [could lead to a] possible infection.
“So we backed everything off and then once he came back and started to hit, it was late in the season, we wouldn’t be able to get him back on the field anyway. Wouldn’t be able to ramp him up quick enough. So we just said let’s stay away from a throwing program, we’ll address it after the season, and just let him hit.”
It is now after the season. And Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia hears that Harper will “undergo evaluation this week — an MRI will likely be included — to determine how much healing has occurred in the ligament since he first sustained the injury.”
The injury, of course, was what then-manager Joe Girardi called a “small” tear in Harper’s UCL in his right throwing elbow. Harper had a PRP injection in the right elbow in May, with hopes that he could avoid elbow surgery and return to playing in right field later in the season. As Thomson mentioned, Harper suffering a fractured right thumb that ultimately required surgery in late June complicated his throwing progression.
It should be noted that Harper did attempt to ramp up his throwing progression in August, around the same time that he was preparing to come back from the thumb fracture. But the Phillies ultimately decided to cut back on Harper’s throwing program when he experienced some stiffness in the elbow. And at a certain point, it became clear that it wasn’t realistic for him to return to the outfield in 2022.
Salisbury notes that Harper and the Phillies could consider a variety of procedures if surgery to fix the UCL is ultimately required. Tommy John surgery could be one option, as could the “internal brace” surgery that Rhys Hoskins had in October of 2020.
It remains to be seen exactly how quickly Harper could return to hitting after any potential procedure. If surgery is required, Harper would seemingly have to back out of his commitment to play for Team USA in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, which begins in early March.
Even if Harper has had inconsistent defensive metrics throughout the course of his career, the 2023 Phillies would be much better off if he’s able to return to the outfield at some point. While Nick Castellanos had a couple game-saving postseason catches in the postseason, he also had -9 defensive runs saved and -11 outs above average in the regular season and has consistently graded out as one of the poorest fielders in baseball.
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