Update on Bryce Harper after he was hit by pitch and exited today’s game early

Another year, another Bryce Harper hit-by-pitch scare.

For a brief moment on Wednesday, Phillies fans were ready to end it all after Harper got drilled by a 92 mph sinker from Richard Lovelady during a Grapefruit League game against the Blue Jays.

It wasn’t intentional, but it was ugly—a fastball that ran so far inside it might as well have been trying to find a seat in the dugout. Harper had no chance to move, took the ball flush on the right triceps, and immediately walked off the field with the trainers.

Bryce Harper exits early after HBP

Bryce Harper left the game in the 6th inning after being hit by a pitch by Richard Lovelady. pic.twitter.com/WmTHoppEV7

— Phillies Tailgate (@PhilsTailgate) February 26, 2025

Given Harper’s history with way-too-close fastballs, it was full-blown panic mode for about 10 minutes. Personally, given what the 76ers have already done to my brain, I’m not sure I would have survived a serious injury to Harp in Spring Training.

I guess we’ll never know

Luckily, this one won’t cost Bryce Harper months of the season. The Phillies are calling it a bruised triceps, and Rob Thomson says there’s no long-term concern.

Rob Thomson said Bryce Harper has a bruised right triceps. He's OK. No x-rays. They'll know more tomorrow.

— Todd Zolecki (@ToddZolecki) February 26, 2025

Translation: There is a god.

Note: Bryce Harper will sit out Thursday, but he wasn’t scheduled to play anyway.

Bryce Harper vs. Bad Luck: A History of Getting Drilled

If this felt like déjà vu, that’s because it is. Harper has been on the wrong end of some brutal hit-by-pitches over the years, and this one looked eerily similar to a couple of past nightmares:

• 2022 – Blake Snell shattered Harper’s thumb with a fastball, sidelining him for two months and derailing an MVP-caliber season.
• 2021 – Génesis Cabrera hit Harper in the face with a 97 mph fastball. Somehow, he only missed a few days, but it sent him into his only slump of the season.
• 2023 – Bowden Francis clipped him high and tight in September, though Harper managed to walk it off.
• Last May – Kyle Harrison buzzed him inside, leading to a full-on benches-clearing situation in San Francisco.

Harper’s been hit plenty of times before, but these way-up, way-in pitches always seem to follow him around.

No Intent, But Maybe Stop Throwing Pitches at His Face?

Look, no one’s saying Lovelady (horrible last name) was out there with malice in his heart, but at some point, enough is enough.

If you’re going to work inside, control your damn fastball. Harper has had too many close calls, and Phillies fans are tired of watching their franchise player limp off the field because someone lost command of a sinker.

For now, crisis averted. But let’s maybe stop using Bryce as a target in spring training, yeah?

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