Bryce Harper undergoes Tommy John surgery

Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper underwent Tommy John surgery on his right throwing elbow Wednesday, according to Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia.

President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski announced last week that Harper would undergo surgery that would be performed by noted surgeon Neil ElAttrache. It wasn’t known until he was in performing the procedure whether it would be Tommy John surgery or another option to fix his elbow.

The procedure, per Salisbury, went “very well.” The thought is that the two-time National League MVP could be back as a hitter by mid-May.

Harper was the DH for much of the 2022 season after suffering what was called a “small” tear in his right UCL in April. While he received a PRP injection in May, he never returned to right field this past season. It’s unclear when, if at all, the seven-time All-Star will return to right field in 2023. But whenever the next time he’s in right field is, his arm — his best attribute as a fielder — should be back at 100%.

The elbow injury didn’t affect Harper at the plate, as evidenced by the fact that he hit .349 with six home runs, 13 RBIs and a 1.160 OPS in a postseason that saw him win the NLCS MVP.

While the Phillies will eagerly await the return of Harper, they shouldn’t have any issues filling the DH slot in his absence. Nick Castellanos, Kyle Schwarber, Rhys Hoskins and Darick Hall could all get looks at DH early in the season. It’s also possible that after a heavy workload in 2022, J.T. Realmuto will have his innings behind the plate managed early in 2023, whether that means he is at DH or first base once in a while.

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