Phillies say Bryce Harper will be back by All-Star break, could return to right field by end of 2023
Multiple reports on Wednesday afternoon stated that Bryce Harper underwent successful Tommy John surgery. Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia said “the early word on Harper is that he could be back hitting competitively by mid-May.”
The team offered a more conservative recovery timeline, saying Harper could return as a designated hitter by the All-Star break, which begins on July 10.
Harper could return to right field this season at some point near the end of the regular season, the team said.
President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski announced last week in a press conference that Harper will undergo surgery to repair a tear in his right ulnar collateral ligament. The injury limited him to just eight games as a right fielder in 2022.
It will be interesting to see how the Phillies react to being without their superstar for nearly half the season. Dombrowski acknowledged that they could do nothing and fill the void left by Harper with internal options. It’s not as if the Phillies are short on potential designated hitters.
It does make offense an even bigger priority than it already was. The Phillies were going to be in the market for the top four shortstops — Carlos Correa, Trea Turner, Xander Bogaerts and Dansby Swanson — regardless of Harper’s prognosis. Now it seems adding another star to make up for the loss of Harper is a must.
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