Phillies’ Bryce Harper Undergoes Tommy John Surgery, Aiming For Mid-May Return
Fresh off their first World Series appearance in 13 years, the Philadelphia Phillies will be without their best hitter at the start of next season.
The team announced that left-hander Bryce Harper underwent Tommy John surgery on Wednesday to repair his torn UCL. The procedure was performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles, Calif.
Harper could return to action by the All-Star break in July but would be limited to designated hitter duties. The club is hopeful he can return to the outfield by the end of the 2023 season.
The 30-year-old, who won the NLCS MVP last season, battled through an elbow injury all summer long and wasn’t permitted to play the outfield after Apr. 16. As a result, he was limited to just 68.0 innings in right field, the second-lowest total of his career.
There’s hope within the organization that Harper will be cleared to return as early as “mid-May,” according to Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports. That would be a major boost to his team, even if it came in the form of an everyday DH.
Los Angeles’ Shohei Ohtani also underwent Tommy John surgery following the 2018 season and returned solely as a hitter in May 2019. So Harper could follow a similar timeline if he doesn’t encounter any setbacks during his recovery process.
Harper’s injury-riddled campaign also included a broken thumb last June, which required surgery, sidelining him until late August. The incident occurred after the seven-time All-Star was hit by a pitch while facing San Diego’s Blake Snell.
Despite his injury woes, the two-time MVP winner still enjoyed a dominant offensive performance, hitting .286/.364/.514 with 18 home runs and 65 RBIs across 99 games. He also posted a 138 wRC+ and was worth 2.4 fWAR over 426 plate appearances.
The left-hander’s excellence carried over into the playoffs, where he slashed .349/.414/.746 with six round-trippers, 13 RBIs and a ridiculous 217 wRC+ through 71 plate appearances in 17 contests.
Replacing Harper won’t be easy for Philadelphia – both offensively and defensively. In the field, the club will likely turn to Nick Castellanos in right field, just as it did during the 2022 postseason. The veteran slugger’s absence will also mean more defensive reps for Kyle Schwarber, who’s historically struggled with his fielding.
Castellanos and Schwarber will also need to step up offensively, as well as J.T. Realmuto, Rhys Hoskins and Alec Bohm. Acquiring one of the superstar shortstops in free agency would help mitigate the temporary loss of the two-time Silver Slugger as well.
Harper signed a massive 13-year, $330-million contract with the Phillies prior to the 2019 campaign. His deal runs through 2031, paying him $25.4 million per season.
When healthy, the 6-foot-3 lefty is one of the top performers in the sport, as he’s registered at least a .260 AVG, a .500 SLG and a 130 wRC+ in four of his last six campaigns. He’s also been a four-win player or better in six of his 11 big-league seasons.
For everyone’s sake, let’s hope Harper is back to demolishing baseballs sooner rather than later.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @ThomasHall85
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