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Report: Harper to Avoid IL with Elbow Strain

Bryce Harper hasn't taken the field since the Phillies series in Miami. What does that portend for his near future with the Phillies?

Author:
Ben Silver
Apr 22, 2022 4:14 PM EDT

It's been six days since Bryce Harper last played right field. Now it looks like he might spend more time at the DH spot before returning to his natural position after an MRI revealed a strain in his right elbow.

Luckily for the Philadelphia Phillies, the implementation of the DH means he won't have to miss time out of the lineup.

According to Todd Zolecki of MLB.com, Harper doesn't feel any pain when he swings, so manager Joe Girardi has opted not to rest the Phillies $330 million MVP slugger, and instead let him play through his injury.

In this circumstance, it seems the Phillies are willing to risk re-aggravation for his spot in the lineup. This is a situation the club should be used to by now.

In April 2021, Harper was hit in the face on a pitch from St. Louis Cardinals' reliever Genesis Cabrera. Harper was out of the lineup for just four days before he was reinserted, then pulled from the lineup again.

Looking to fight his way back and play through pain, Harper slashed .211/.318/.316 in a dreadful May that saw him sit for extended periods to recover from injury on three separate occasions.

The path the Phillies are taking is a high-risk/low-reward road for a set of April games where it may be more prudent to rest Harper and ensure he's fully healthy.

However, with Harper at DH, the Phillies lineup stays ostensibly the same. They've done nothing more than swap Castellanos and Harper from right field and DH.

Were Harper to sit during this period, the Phillies would still be able to field one of baseball's better lineups. It would provide an opening for their hottest hitter, Alec Bohm, to get off the field and and keep his bat consistently in the lineup, while allowing for the development of Bryson Stott in the Phillies' everyday lineup.

If things do go according to the Phillies' plan, it seems like Harper will retake the field sometime next week in their home series against the Colorado Rockies or away at Citi Field against the New York Mets.