Philadelphia Phillies fans held their breath last night (Thursday) as club star Bryce Harper was writhing in pain while holding his elbow after a collision at first base with Matt Olson in the eighth inning.
Harper then left the game momentarily (when the Phillies returned to bat and he did not have to hit), before returning to the dugout and finishing the game on the field at his position.
Despite everything, some questions remained, since this is the same elbow that was surgically repaired with a Tommy John type operation in November 2022.
After surgery, Harper was expected to return to the Phillies’ lineup as the go-to hitter after the All-Star break, but his recovery was much quicker than expected, as he made a return on May 2 as a designated hitter before playing as a first baseman from July 21.
In total, Harper will only miss 36 games this season, appearing in 136 games as a choice hitter or first baseman.
Fortunately, after yesterday’s duel, manager Rob Thomson was reassuring about the state of health of his colt.
He went down to the locker room with our staff, and they came back and told me he was fine. We’ll see how he feels tomorrow (Friday), but I don’t think there’s any concern about structural damage or anything like that.
The big hitter should therefore be able to play in the National League Championship Series against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Phew!
This is a definite advantage for the City of Brotherly Love roster, with Harper’s presence being of utmost importance in the lineup, even more so in the playoffs, as evidenced by the many big moments where the latter responded.
