Bryce Harper Injury Update: Thumb requires surgery, will miss a minimum of 6 weeks
Bryce Harper will require surgery to stabilize his broken left thumb and will now be out for at least six weeks. According to Jim Salisbury, there is still optimism he will play again this season.
Bryce Harper was having a repeat MVP season before injury
Harper slashed .318/.385/.599 over his first 64 games this season, crushing 15 HRs, 48 RBIs, a .985 OPS, and a 2.6 WAR. He, along with Paul Goldschmidt and Manny Machado, are the top three guys in the running for NL MVP right now, although Pete Alonso is not far behind.
Read More: Bryce Harper wishes he took the pitch off his face instead of thumb >>
If all goes well, it looks like the Phillies will have both Jean Segura and Bryce Harper back in the lineup sometime mid-August. Let’s just hope they are still chasing a playoff spot.
Obviously, losing Harper for any amount of time is a huge blow to the Philadelphia Phillies. On the year, they are 39-35, eight games behind the NL East-leading New York Mets and three games behind the Atlanta Braves, who they will open up a three game series with tonight at Citizens Bank Park.
The Phillies are currently two games out of the last NL Wild Card spot and while the season might feel like it just came to a crashing end, this lineup is still built for the playoffs. Veterans like Kyle Schwarber, Rhys Hoskins, and Kyle Gibson know that this team still has a goal, and they need to make sure everyone’s on the same page.
Read More: Phillies embracing “next man up” mentality >>
Up Next for the Phillies
Things will certainly not get easier for the Phillies heading into the All-Star break. They face off against the Braves starting tonight with Zack Wheeler on the mound followed by the 41-34 Cardinals, a team who currently holds a wild card spot.
The Fightins get a break following the Cardinals with three against the Nationals. They’ll then square off against the Cardinals again following the Fourth of July weekend followed by the Toronto Blue Jays for two games.
