Bryce Harper’s recent injury update is just what the Philadelphia Phillies were hoping for.
Bryce Harper made his comeback on Tuesday night, rejoining the Philadelphia Phillies as their star player. Unfortunately, Harper sustained an injury during his first game back while fielding a ball hit by Freddie Freeman.
To err on the side of caution, Manager Rob Thomson opted to bench Harper for Wednesday night’s game due to his hand injury.
Although it’s worrisome since he’s only just come back, there doesn’t appear to be much cause for alarm. According to Tom Ignudo of CBS News, Thomson stated that the left-handed slugger would be playing if it were a playoff game, which is what really matters.
Thomson commented, “He can play, but any time with hand and foot injuries, I’m a little bit leery because it changes your swing a little bit. But if this was a playoff game or anything like that, he would play.”
Given the potential severity of an injury to a superstar, this update is as encouraging as the Phillies could hope for.
Even if Philadelphia decided to rest him leading up to the All-Star break, which isn’t anticipated, they have built a large enough lead in the division to afford that option
Currently, they hold a 7.5-game lead over the Atlanta Braves, and their position is likely to strengthen with expected additions from the front office before the trade deadline.
Losing Harper for an extended period now that the second half of the season has begun would be devastating, so Thomson’s cautious approach is wise. Considering the hamstring injury Harper just recovered from, taking unnecessary risks doesn’t make sense.
The 31-year-old continues to demonstrate why he’s arguably the best player in baseball, with a batting line of .299/.394/.574, including 20 home runs and 20 doubles in just 291 at-bats.
Of his 87 hits, 40 have gone for extra bases, an impressive feat for the eight-time All-Star.
Fortunately, Harper seems to have avoided any serious injury.
For the Phillies to be the team they’re looking to be, they’ll need him to be healthy when it matters most in October, and that seems to be the case after this small injury.
