By Mark Polishuk | June 26, 2022 at 2:20pm CDT
June 26: As expected, the team announced that Moniak has been recalled with Harper officially placed on the 10-day injured list.
June 25: Bryce Harper’s season may be in jeopardy, after the reigning NL MVP suffered a fractured thumb in Saturday’s game against the Padres. Facing Blake Snell in the fourth inning, Harper had to duck to avoid a 97mph fastball that sailed up and in, but the pitch still hit Harper in his left hand, leaving the Phillies slugger in visible pain.
Harper immediately left the game, and the Phillies announced shortly afterwards that initial tests revealed the fracture. More details will be known after further tests take place, and president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski told reporters (including The Athletic’s Matt Gelb) that it is too soon to tell if Harper will need surgery. As such, the door isn’t closed on a potential Harper return, as Dombrowski is “hopeful he’ll be back at some point.”
If surgery is required, Harper is in danger of missing the remainder of the 2022 campaign. While every specific injury is different, for comparion’s sake, Jean Segura was given a recovery timeline of 10-12 weeks after the Philadelphia second baseman suffered his own fractured finger in late May and had to undergo surgery.
Losing Segura was a brutal enough outcome for the Phils, yet the team rebounded to post its best month of the season. The Phillies had a 22-29 record under former manager Joe Girardi, but after Girardi was fired and Rob Thomson was elevated from bench coach to interim manager, Philadelphia promptly went on a 15-6 run over Thomson’s first 21 games as skipper.
That run got the Phillies back up over the .500 mark (37-35) heading into tonight’s action, and three games out of an NL wild card berth. However, it is hard to imagine Philadelphia staying in the race without Harper’s contributions to an overall underwhelming lineup. With Harper and Segura out, Kyle Schwarber and Rhys Hoskins are the only regulars hitting well above average.
Harper has already been playing through pain, as a small UCL tear has limited him to DH duty for over two months. In the big picture, Harper monopolizing the DH spot hasn’t helped Philadelphia, as Schwarber and Nick Castellanos have been forced into everyday corner-outfield roles, much to the detriment of the Phillies’ defense. (And possibly Castellanos’ offense, as he has had an underwhelming year at the plate.) On the plus side, Harper’s own bat has still been on fire, as he carried 15 home runs and a .320/.385/.602 slash line into tonight’s game against the Padres.
Harper’s UCL tear further complicates matters. If the Phils fall behind in the postseason race, Harper might decide to stop delaying the inevitable and get elbow surgery, thus shutting him down for 2022 but likely ensuring that he’d miss little or none of the 2023 season.
Injuries have long been a subplot of Harper’s career, yet he has been relatively durable in recent years, playing in 515 of a possible 546 games from 2018-21. Through it all, Harper has continued to produce at a Cooperstown-ian level, including his MVP campaign last year. After previously winning NL MVP honors with the Nationals in 2015, Harper became the fifth player in baseball history to win an MVP on multiple teams, as he hit .309/.429/.615 with 35 home runs and a league-best 42 doubles with the Phillies last season.
Unfortunately, that production could only help the Phils to an 82-80 record — enough to snap a streak of nine consecutive non-winning seasons, but not enough to get the club back into the playoffs. Harper’s 13-year, $330MM contract makes him an easy target for criticism, yet the Phillies’ lack of on-field success is hardly Harper’s fault, given his huge numbers over three-plus years in Philadelphia.
In the near term, Harper’s absence frees up the DH spot for a Schwarber/Castellanos timeshare, which can create an opportunity for a big defensive upgrade. Dombrowski said that Mickey Moniak is being called up to take Harper’s spot on the active roster, though Moniak is hardly an ideal everyday solution. For now, the Phillies’ plan would seem to consist of having one of Castellanos or Schwarber at DH in a regular lineup, the other in a corner outfield spot, and a rotation of Moniak, Odubel Herrera, and Matt Vierling covering the other two outfield positions. Down on the farm, Scott Kingery, Justin Williams, Jorge Bonifacio, and Dustin Peterson are all options, though none are on the 40-man roster.
A trade would be one way for the Phillies to address the situation, as even if Harper is gone for the season, the Phils aren’t immediately going to wave the white flag on their chances of finally ending their playoff drought. That said, Dombrowski could wait on Harper’s status before determining the extent of a future move — if Harper could avoid surgery, that could increase the chances of the Phillies acquiring a more proven everyday outfielder, rather than perhaps a complementary piece.
For Phillies fans looking for a silver lining, the obvious comp is the 2021 Braves, who were only 44-44 when Ronald Acuna Jr. tore his ACL last July 10. While Atlanta seemed doomed, the Braves instead revamped their outfield mix by trading for Eddie Rosario, Joc Pederson, Adam Duvall, and Jorge Soler prior to the trade deadline, and ended up rolling all the way to a World Series championship.
While it may be far-fetched to think that such a scenario could happen for another NL East team in a second consecutive season, Dombrowski is no stranger to aggressive roster shuffling. The way the Phillies have rebounded in June has breathed new life into the team’s season, and it would take an immediate and sudden downturn for Philadelphia to shift into seller mode before the deadline.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Newsstand Philadelphia Phillies Bryce Harper
Hello darkness, my old friend
Looked pretty bad and he was extremely frustrated after so many injuries this year. Pretty sure that’s a broken thumb at the very least.
I’m speculating, but I absolutely agree based on his reaction and the replays.
Can Moniak save the Phillies?
That sucks. I love watching Harper play, man. So, it’s like a weird movie where Judge stays healthy & every other star now gets injured, I guess – like an altered reality, or multiverse, I think is the popular name.
You Can Put It In The Books
Might as well get that UCL taken care of at this point.
Really might be nothing to take care of. He got the injection. Rest is what’s needed. Surgery isn’t always the answer here. Anyway confirmed Harper had a left thumb fracture. Phillies season is done.
Let’s not get crazy here. A lot of season left and the Phillies have guys that can pick up the slack on offense. They also have two front of the rotation pitchers to lean on. We. Just last year, Atlanta won it all without their best player. No need for anyone to jump off the Walt Whitman.
The Phillies are 3-6 in games where Harper doesn’t play and in those games got outscored significantly. Other hitters see much better pitches when Harper is in the lineup. He was having another insane offensive year, carrying the entire team at times. The Phillies are severely flawed even with Harper. Without Harper they’re toast. The Braves weren’t as flawed. The Acuna situation doesn’t even compare.
Phillies aren’t good enough to sustain this loss while making up so much room in the standings. Good opportunity to be sellers and gear up for next year.
“Phillies season is done.” – B I N G O Von.
Now Dombrowski goes to Plan B: Preparing for 2023.
Phillies are sellers, not buyers. Expect them to continue to get younger and to get their payroll down. Veterans will be available for trade. Kyle Gibson is now a rental and will be in demand. Didi. Segura if he can play late season. Maybe Hoskins. Even a couple of the pitchers that are doing well.
They can live with the Schwarber contract, but the Castellanos contract will hurt them for most of the oncoming years. Beware of guys that have unbelievable walk years. Start with Judge – for the first time in years he’s healthy, producing, and playing team ball. It’s why the good TEAMS are built primarily from within featuring a strong young core.
They may trade Gibson, but Di Di doesn’t have too much value, and is a free agent in 2023. Segura will be out until at least late August, that makes trading him unlikely. D D, will keep it together for next year.
Dombrowski will trade a top prospect to KC for Benintendi. It’s his MO.
Joey Gallo and one of the Yanks top minors SS for Bryce?
pound, Good one! We Phillies’s fan needed a little comedic diversion to take the sting out this unfortunate situation. Thank you from all of us.
It’s baseball how do u not play anything but team ball? 35% of Judge’s hits have been HRs it’s not as though he’s changed his style of play and laying down constant bunts or something. He is just having a great season at the plate. I’d attribute it more to him seeing better pitches with the lineup around him doing so well than it being a walk year.
Right on both counts. The Phillies aren’t nearly good enough to overcome this loss.
Surgery generally should be the last option. There have been cases of position players never fully recovering their hitting abilities post UCL surgery. It’s rare, but it’s not unknown. If he can eventually return to the OF, even with slightly diminished arm strength without surgery, then that should be the recommended action.
Terrible that this happened. Hopefully he has a speedy and complete recovery. I’d hate to see the Phillies throw in the towel this early in the season. That would totally demoralize the team and the fans.
Fractured thumb they just said.
Blake Snell should be taken care of.
It wasn’t intentional. Snell has been all over the place all year. Infuriating as a fan. Frustrating for Harper. But at the end of the day, everyone kmows it was an accident. Even Harper said so after his initial frustration.
If you see snell’s reaction, he knew he messed up. It was an unfortunate accident. Wish Harper a speedy recovery.
It won’t be speedy. If he comes back at all, it will be in September.
Which raises the question, what’s with Blake Snell? I know he was never going to be an ace or consistent big winner, and the Cy Young award was a one off; but this guy likes like burnt toast.
You Can Put It In The Books
Your team should trade for Duvall. Apparently, he is a good hitter.
This might be a blessing in disguise. Maybe this will force the Phils to trade this deadline instead of buy.
They’re caught in the middle. Too good too sell. Not good enough to really buy.
Von, I don’t know your thought on this, but every time I see Castellanos play the OF he looks like a basketball player trying to catch a fly ball…for the first time – it’s just awkward. Or, perhaps he’s just really good at doing bird imitations while chasing baseballs, k dunno. They need to get that dude out of the OF though, from what I’ve seen.
Castallanos is far from graceful, but hasn’t been too bad defensively this year. He makes the routine plays, and is passable defensively.
Castellanos has been a disaster. I expected the bad defense. I’m shocked at his bad offense. With Harper out, I don’t think we’ll see Nick in the field much longer. So I hope he remembers how to hit.
@Von Having Castellanos as their primary DH could be a blessing in disguise as evidence by his 4 hits yesterday. He can now concentrate on hitting and not have the pressure of playing the field which, in the past, he has expressed a disdain for I’m not ready to write them off just yet. Still a lot of baseball to be played. Let’s see how they do. It’s a damn shame though as Harper was on pace to have another great season and one of the finest perhaps in club history
Does Moniak get an extended look now??..At least he can run down routine fly balls in CF…
He was on his way back up anyway.
Ugh, that’s a nasty hit to the NL All-Star lineup! Now who’s going to start at DH for the NL?!
By the last voting poll William Contreras is next in votes at DH.
Albert deserves it. I mean those offensive numbers are prime
Garrett Cooper as the player’s vote for backup then?
Well it sounds like both the Phillies and my fantasy team are turning their attention towards 2023
I offered Goldschmidt for Harper the day before the injury and was declined. Dodging bullets this year.
The bum who hit Harper is a Pitcher past his prime.
Washed, now hate him; as much as Jakob Junis (hit Judge)
Bryce Harper was my 2022 NL MVP front-runner.
It sucks. It was a bad pitch, but you can’t really throw good pitches to Harper. It’s not like it was intentional.
Never said it was intentional or implied.
I blame incompetence, similar to Junis hitting Judge.
What is surprising; Jakob Junis’ stats this year! Doesnt change how i feel about him. (and now, Blake) Get better soon, Bryce Harper!
Yutes were up late last night.
Not a fan of Harper but a very unfortunate injury for Phillies in the hunt for a playoff spot! Harper probably done the for the season if it needs surgery! Looks like he going to have to earn that Mega contract starting next season!
So far, the Phillies got Harper at a discount rate.
I’ve been a Phillies Phan for 50 seasons now, and when Harper was Gnat, I hated everything about him…Being able to watch him everyday as a Phillie, I can honestly say he’s a more talented version of Chae Utley…As far as earning that contract goes, he’s earned every penny of it…Every…Penny…
He appears to have matured some. Maybe it’s getting the huge contract out of the way, or marriage and children helping to put life into perspective. Maybe he made a conscious effort to be better. People who still don’t care for him are probably the type to hold onto petty, years old grievances.
I really disliked Harper as a GNat, but ever since he signed with PHI he seems more likeable and not a DBag. Really sucks that he got hurt, hopefully he’ll come back this year
SoCalBrave I really disliked Harper as a GNat, but ever since he signed with PHI he seems more likeable ====================================== Same here. I had no use for him while he was a Nat. But he’s developed good leadership skills since he’s been a Philly, always plays hard, always plays hurt. I’m thinking this contract might work out.
Terry, why not? Harper is a grinder, man. He’s a hard-charger and seems to have matured quite a bit from his younger days.
Not saying you’re wrong because we all have our reasons for disliking certain players, but Harper’s awesome. I’d love to have that guy on the Yanks.
MLB REALLY needs to address the quality of the baseballs IMMEDIATELY. Can’t keep having pitches getting away so easily and hurting players. How many more have to go down before it stops?
I don’t think that was the issue here. Snell was throwing inside. He doesn’t have great control. It happens. He’s not a good pitcher anymore. He doesn’t have control. New baseballs don’t fix that.
Snell is not the same pitcher as when with the Rays. Be very leery of trading pitchers from the Rays. Recent example Chris Archer. An older example, Victor Zambrano. I don’t how they do it. Maybe it’s black magic but the Rays have a way of enhancing their pitchers’ performance and extremely savvy in selling high.
Good to read you again.
They can only address it immediately if they have a large stock of balls and more on order.
But you are correct about the problem. I heard one retired player that’s now a broadcaster remark a week or so ago that the quality of the baseballs are so inconsistent that the players don’t know how to deal with it. Apparently in one recent game Verlander threw out 6 baseballs before he got one he felt comfortable throwing (he’s a star veteran, he can do that). MLB had problems with a juiced baseball for years, in 2021 that was dialed back some and more this year. The problem is obviously quality control, but it’s going to be difficult to enforce that when each ball is hand stitched.
One thing I see is this: MLB had now gotten to the point that the players and coaches are throwing baseballs into the stands if a foul ball is hit, if a ball is used between innings for the infield and outfield throw-arounds. The ballboys-girls throw balls in the stands. Like TJ surgery, it’s bizarre. It seems they’re going through so many baseballs that it’s impossible to produce that amount in the time available that can be of uniform quality. This Commissioner is all about marketing and has compromised the integrity of the sport far beyond any other Commissioner.
P.S. The broadcaster also noted that the red stitching on the baseballs was often so recessed that the pitchers couldn’t get a grip on them. Something mandatory as now they’re being judged on spin rate. That’s why pitchers resorted to using the “sticky stuff” in 2021, which was then outlawed.
Again, this Commissioner is like the politicians – they want to continue to drop standards and then have to make changes that further disrupt things to show everyone that they’re really listening to the public. How about just doing things right? And if they can’t do that then they’re not qualified to hold the position and should leave for someone that is.
Somebody got hit the other day and the pitcher said he had no control over the ball, meaning it was too slick for him to grip it. Scary stuff when you think about how hard pitchers throw today. You make a good point about the amount of balls used in today’s game, and with the mandatory league-wide use of humidors, I think the ball issue is a major problem. Too many guys getting hit, and on top of that, offense is dead this year. It’s not just shifts and launch angle killing offensive production. There’s been some balls blasted, no-doubters, only to die at the warning track. The ball itself is a fundamental problem this season, and the only way MLB will address is if the players’ union gets pissed about it, which might not happen until we get another Dickie Thon situation. By then it’ll be too little, too late, and unfortunately, par for the course for MLB…
when pitchers cheat for so long, probably starts way back in high school or before, they get ‘rewarded’ by the league thinking about adjusting the ball, or letting them have some sticky stuff.
balls thrown into the dirt to the catcher are tossed, or handed to the umpire. didn’t pitchers resort to scuffing balls intentionally?
This site brings out the worst in people. In fact, honestly, just seems like the internet in general lately.
okay, don’t respond to the comment and just post a new one. smh.
@DarkSide830, Were you replying to me? The comment system is weird; i swear it looked like i was replying to nobody… I thought u removed post; so i removed mine… Not trying to get on anybody’s bad side. Probably for the best! This thread will be long forgotten when Bryce comes back… Bummer.. Want him NL MVP -Have a great evening or day! Gave you an upvote 🙂
nah, someone was being stupid earlier and I was replying to a response to such stupidity.
you’re from the dark side. no good comes from there.
Every other year Harp does it again
“The way the Phillies have rebounded in June has breathed new life into the team’s season, and it would take an immediate and sudden downturn for Philadelphia to shift into seller mode before the deadline.”
The Phillies have to get past the Giants and one of the Cards or Brewers to get a WC spot. They’ll need an upgrade in players on the ML roster to do that, and they have little of value to trade to bring in a few proven veterans that can help. Even then, how far can they realistically go in the playoffs? They’re in the luxury tax now, and will have to get below it in 2023. The last thing they need to do is to trade young, affordable players for some veterans with large contracts.
I don’t think Dombrowski starts a sell-off immediately, But as Von wrote, that team is totally different when Bryce is not in the line-up. The 2022 trade deadline will be a sellers market. Dombrowski will get what he can when he can.
You are the lamest commenter on here.
Phillies make playoffs, Harper comes back WC/NCDS, goes off
“ Harper comes back WC/NCDS, goes off…as a Yankee”
– There we go. Small tweak, looks perfect. Hang it.
Schwarber can teach Harper how to miss major regular season time and than come up huge in the postseason. See 2016…
Snell definitely was not trying to hit Harper and even as Bryce was cussing him out Snell was basically telling him it wasn’t intentional. Snell may be many things but he’s not a “headhunter”. Tough for the Phillies as things seemed to be turning around for them.
Yup. Harper yelled at him in frustration because Harper knew how bad the injury was and got frustrated. He immediately apologized to Snell and said he knew it wasn’t on purpose that was “my bad.” I liked the emotion and then the class to apologize all while dealing with a broken thumb.
I hope the Phillies trade for a DH to replace Harper. I’d like to see them continue to double down on the mostly DH lineup.
Harper should have worn a hand protector like Trea Turner does.
So we’re blaming Harper for this now? Ridiculous
Your team should trade for Duvall. Apparently, he is a good hitter.
Duvall, Ozuna…take your pick
Imagine an outfield of Ozuna, Cas, and Schwarb haha
You’ve now tied with Dumpster Diver as the lamest commenter on here.
Dumpster diver is better than this clown
probably should keep his head/hands out from over the plate.
The ball was nowhere near the plate. Terrible comment.
look where his hands were. didn’t say it was a strike
Correction: Blake Snell fractures Bryce Harper’s thumb.
I agree, Fink, no names is the way to go – lol.
Your team should trade for Duvall. Apparently, he is a good hitter.
Padres will probably need to cut ties with Snell.
If he returns to the Rays, or goes to the Dodgers or Giants, he will automatically become a Cy-young contender again. Just bazarre how these teams turn nobodies into somebodies.
Yeah well 60-day+ IL stints are nothing new to us. Suck it up, regroup, move on.
Lol. What kind of post is that? Stay classy pal. Literally no one said anything about the Mets.
was at a Dodger game earlier in the year and Harper was just destroying the ball. sorry to see him go down Phillie fans. monster player.
Shouldn’t they get TJ now too? If he likely needs TJ anyway and would be out for like 6 weeks now imo it would make sense to get TJ now and save recovery time because you are only getting him back for 4-6 weeks at the end of the season anyway.
The UCL injury doesn’t necessarily require TJ. Why get surgery when you don’t need it? But I get your point. His season is essentially over anyway. I’m sure he’ll consult doctors and do what’s best.
No love lost for the Phillies, but this is a tough break for them and for MLB. Harper is fantastic player having another great year, and at $330M he’s probably a bargain.
Baseball or any sport, is better when the stars of the game are healthy and able to play. Unfortunately there has been a number of injuries this season. Really nothing you can do.
“Unfortunately there has been a number of injuries this season. Really nothing you can do.” – Wrong. People have been writing and saying that every season for over 10 years now. In spite of players not being allowed to slide into bases to take out defenders; padded walls; throwing beanballs; etc. MLB was never like this.
Why are batters getting hit? Why has TJ surgery gone from an epidemic to a normal, accepted occurrence? Why does MLBTR have a dozen articles a day about players going in the IL? Why are players being called up and sent down to the minors 3-5 times a week by every team?
I think a lot of it might be due to over exertion in high school. Watching the draft combine I couldn’t believe how many of the guys were multi sport athletes because that’s what the colleges demand to get into a school these days. Being a point guard and throwing 90+ twice a week 70 times and running track wears down the human body as much as it builds it up. Especially the rate of young pitching that gets used in high school. My high school had a star freshman this year and he led the team in innings even though we also had a USC commit pitcher. He threw about 90 so the coach wanted to squeeze all the production out of him but come playoffs he had to miss a start due to shoulder pain. This is common in HS and definitely college. That’s part of the reason I’m the uptick in injuries IMO.
players today are such babies. take the hit to the thumb and head to first.
His thumb broke. What an idiotic comment.
You see words on a screen.
Let’s see you get a broken bone and work or play normally.
had truck fall on leg. pinned under it for 30 minutes. walked it off
It obviously affected your brain.
actually, it affected your esophagus. very deep
Really? I was once decapitated by aliens and won four marathons later that afternoon. So I get what your saying.
must have been the green slime the aliens gave you.
Ian Happ seems like a perfect fit. Even if they fall short this year they have him next year as well. Not sure what they could offer for him – they could get him for almost nothing if they take Heyward ( I can dream )
Happ for Stott, Falter, and a lottery pick.
If you love the game – you want to see ATL-NYM-PHI go to battle with all their squad. You want DeGrom vs Harper vs Albies et al. So this blows. Hope the man heals fast
Hitters roll their eyes when pitchers cite using tack as the only way to better grip and thus control these billiard balls – with nasty breaking balls being simply an ancillary benefit.
Hitter safety is a real and genuine concern to some/many pitchers.
One example, perhaps, is Blake Snell being so scattershot. Still has his high velocity, but it’s difficult watching him miss by so much so often. Maybe cause-and-affect?
If losing a half-year of such a major asset is an unintended consequence of this rule change, time to reevaluate it and the options.
Snell is a borderline major leaguer at this point. He’s been wild all year, and last night was one of his best games of the season and he still lost and drilled Harper by accident. Pads need to let him go.
Last night was typical for him. Dominates for 1-4 innings, then suddenly appears bewildered/confused. Tough to watch.
3rd time through batting orders. The problem existed in TB as well.
It’s why he was pulled from the WS game. Everyone criticized the decision, but he has a track record.
Mind you if Anderson didn’t choke, they would have praised the move to pull snell but the grass is always greener
As a die hard Braves fan who lives in Philly, I hate seeing this as a fan. Harper is one of a handful of truly legitimate threats every time he comes to bat. The Phils are in deep trouble without him. He changes everything in that lineup, which only a handful of players are capable of. I was sick to my stomach when Acuna blew out his knee last year. Even lost interest in the Braves. But they came together and won. Not sure the Phils can overcome this though…no matter what trade they make.
Defensively they actually start looking like an actual baseball team and not a beer league softball team
They move Nick or Schwarber to DH and replace the one with a Moniak/Verling combo. The offense sacrificed is far greater than the defense gained. I don’t see the Phillies recovering from this. They aren’t good enough.
That was a clown throw bro
Tough to see anyone get hurt, let alone a superstar. Best wishes on a complete and speedy healing to Bruce Hooper. A possible target for Philly, if they are buyers = David Peralta. Seems like a solid fit and they don’t need to punt on the ’22 season… (?)
Wheeler for Hoz and Snell and we’ll tip the scales by including Cano. WhO sAyS nO?!? Lol
Pretty sure we can all blame this on Girardi
I know you’re joking, but I think the blame Girardi comments were proven accurate. The team has been one of the best teams in the league since Girardi’s firing. Some of that could be coincidence, but clearly Girardi was doing a lot wrong. Can’t even debate it.
I think it’s time that MLB look into the Padres… Seems their pitchers like to hit certain opposing batters (especially if that batter is hot…) I’ve watched this in several of their series and taken note…Their worst offender is Darvish.
This was clearly not intentional. Snell just blows.
He’s fallen off a cliff even if his value has been overstated at times.
If this is true (I don’t think it is), do you have any examples? Of the intentional HBPs, I mean. It’s quite odd that a team having a franchise season thus far, and dealing with injuries to their star players, would make a habit of putting opposing runners on base just to do it.
I could be wrong because I don’t watch every single game, but that’s a very broad statement of accusations.
VjWhit couldn’t be More off the tracks with this train of thought.
I was really bummed seeing Harper sign with the Phillies, when I thought the Giants had a legitimate shot in signing him. Now I know the Giants don’t spend money on premium talent.
Bruce Harper is a joy to watch, absolute stud. Hope he heals up quickly.
You Can Put It In The Books
And his brother, Bryce Hooper ain’t bad either.
That really sux. Hope he can get back sooner if it’s a clean break that heals quickly. Heck Fast Eddy Felson came back from 2 broken thumbs to beat Fats.
This news is even worse than the news that Stone was bought out by Sapporo
As a San Diegan, I find this highly debatable… no disrespect intended. 😉
I was being protective of the Harper fans, especially the 8 year olds who wont know the IPAs they’ll be missing
Losing the leader of your squad hurts but this 200 million plus payroll won’t be selling at the deadline friends. Castellanos will slip into the designated hitter slot and God willing find his stroke. This team will be looking to add a veteran bat with pop and another starter. God willing Harper is a fast healer and can return sooner rather than later. Go phillies.
However long Harper is unable to play at the MLB level, Blake Snell should be disqualified from play for that same length of time. MLB Pitchers are supposedly the best in the world. When their screw-up results in a lost time injury to a member of the opposing club, BOTH the pitcher and the pitcher’s club should incur consequences. SORRY, “the old adage that injuries are just part of the game”, doesn’t cut it.
As a Padre fan, we’re ok with that.
All joking aside… if we’re laying blame here then I’d start with MLB themselves. Quit changing the ball and provide some pre-tackiness for the slick new balls already. A Mississippi Mud-bath then into the hot-box just ain’t cutting it…
I don’t get the reactions. It wasn’t intentional. Pitchers should be allowed to throw inside. Maybe there should be a penalty for hitting over X amount (needs to be a fairly high number) of guys in a season, but Snell shouldn’t be punished for not being a good pitcher.
In fairness, he didn’t really duck, he moreso pulled a Pete Alonso and turned into it. Glad it didn’t get him in the face tho
Wow! Always hate to see any player get hurt especially an MVP like Bryce Harper.
Dombrowski will work some of his magic at the trade deadline. The Phillies could be both BUYERS AND SELLERS.
The current and new Phillies will step it up. The Phillies will secure a Wild Card playoffs spot.
Not sure they will go any further without Harper, but the Phillies have a lot of fight in that team and it would not surprise me to see them at get to the 2nd round of the playoffs even without Harper.
Time for Rhys to really step up and become the superstar every Statcast fan wants him to be. My guess is he will fold like a taco and diminish all trade value he would have
Your obsession with Hoskins is borderline dangerous. At this point, I’m assuming there’s a restraining order out on you. Hoskins is having another typical year of long slumps followed by long hot streaks. He’ll finish the year with impressive offensive numbers and terrible defensive metrics. He’s a solid bat. Nothing more. Nothing less. That’s all he’ll ever be. I’m fine with that.
I heard he has a mallet thumb. Not good at all
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