Despite two inconvenient and troublesome injuries, Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper managed to take his team to their first World Series since 2009, when they lost.
They lost again in 2022, against the Houston Astros, but Harper and the Phils earned the respect of the whole baseball community after sneaking into the postseason with a discrete 87-75 record and then eliminating the St. Louis Cardinals, the Atlanta Braves, and the San Diego Padres in succession.
They couldn’t do the same with the Astros, but they will try again next year.
Unfortunately, they could be doing it without Harper for at least a portion of the year.
Affected by an UCL injury this season, Harper was limited to designated hitter duties because he couldn’t throw.
Harper Will Be On The Shelf For A While
Now that the season is over, Harper will take care of the issue through surgery.
However, the recovery process is not particularly quick and his return timetable is not set in stone.
“Rob Thomson on Bryce Harper having UCL surgery next Wednesday. ‘You don’t want to lose Bryce. He’s one of the best hitters in baseball, if not the best. We will be missing him but it will give somebody else a chance,’” NBC Sports Philadelphia’s John Clark said, quoting the Phils’ skipper.
Rob Thomson on Bryce Harper having UCL surgery next Wednesday
“You don’t want to lose Bryce. He’s one of the best hitters in baseball, if not the best”
“We will be missing him but it will give somebody else a chance” pic.twitter.com/8n5QAaNM6E
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) November 16, 2022
Nobody can lose a guy who had a wRC+ over 200 in postseason play this year, with six home runs and a lot of timely hits.
Nobody wants to be without the National League MVP and the best player on the team.
It is what it is, though.
The nature of the surgery is not yet known, but if it is Tommy John, he could be sidelined for a large portion of the start of the season.
Stay tuned for more updates.
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