August 31st, 2024
Todd Zolecki
@ToddZoleckiPHILADELPHIA -- Bryce Harper said repeatedly Friday that he will not make excuses.
But he is banged up. He reluctantly acknowledged that much before Friday night’s 7-2 loss to Atlanta at Citizens Bank Park, cutting the Phillies’ lead over the Braves in the National League East to five games with 27 to play. Attentive Phils fans have noticed Harper wearing a protective black sleeve on his right arm since Monday’s game against Houston. They also might have noticed that Harper has not homered in 77 consecutive plate appearances, dating back to Aug. 9.
Is it a sore wrist? A sore elbow?
“All of it,” Harper told MLB.com. “The elbow. The wrist. It’s not anything crazy, but obviously it’s there.”
He said his wrist has bothered him since May. The elbow is more recent. Harper said he doesn’t recall a specific play or moment that irritated the wrist, only that it “just generally got worse. I’ve been grinding through that.” But with the postseason a little more than a month away, he said he is hopeful it will not be an issue in October.
“I don’t want to make excuses for what I do,” Harper said. “You know what I’m saying? I’ve just got to get through it. Hopefully it gets better, rather than getting worse. [The wrist’s] finally getting to the point where I feel like it’s turning a corner. My elbow is just, like, there.”
Harper had Tommy John surgery on his right elbow following the 2022 World Series. He said this latest irritation isn’t related to that.
“It’s not the ligament,” he said. “It’s in that area. But it’s not the ligament, so that’s a good thing.”
Harper went 3-for-4 with two doubles on Friday. The double in the first inning left his bat at 107.8 mph, per Statcast. The double in the third left his bat at 102.3 mph. He is batting .394 with six doubles, three RBIs and a 1.050 OPS in his last nine games, which is encouraging.
Since the All-Star break, however, Harper is batting .243 with five home runs, 15 RBIs and a .724 OPS in 38 games.
He batted .301 with 21 homers, 61 RBIs and a .982 OPS in 81 games before the break.
“I don’t want to make excuses for the way I’m playing,” Harper said about his lack of power. “I just want to make sure that if I can play, then I’m good. If it continues to go the right way, then yeah, we’re good. On both ends.”
Asked again after Friday’s game why he is confident he will feel like himself in October, Harper said, “I just have to. That’s it. It’s part of the game. It’s part of the process of going through a season. Just got to stay the course, understand that I rely heavily on my body. I’ve just got to go.”
Harper’s wrist and elbow issues likely explain why Phillies manager Rob Thomson did not pinch-hit him in the ninth inning of a 6-4 loss to the Nationals on Aug. 18 at Citizens Bank Park. Thomson said before the game he wanted to give Harper two consecutive days off before a big series in Atlanta.
A few hours later, Philadelphia put the leadoff hitter on base in the ninth. Cal Stevenson, who represented the tying run, grounded into a double play. Garrett Stubbs grounded out to end the game.
Thomson was questioned by many for not pinch-hitting Harper there. He said after the game he was “thinking long-term.”
Two days later in Atlanta, the Phillies were late posting the lineup. Thomson said they needed to check on the status of a few players. He then discussed not pinch-hitting Harper against the Nats.
“People have to understand the No. 1 thing we have to do here is win,” Thomson said. “And I hate losing. I love winning. We’ve done a lot of it here in the last couple years. But part of that formula is to make sure everybody is healthy and that everybody can get through the end of the year, hopefully get into the playoffs, and we make a long run. So there’s some tough decisions you have to make along the way to make sure that you stay healthy.”
Harper isn’t healthy, but he is good enough to play.
“Sometimes you’ve got to play through crap,” Harper said. “You know? All good.”
