Philadelphia Phillies‘ Bryce Harper can’t catch a break when it comes to elbow injuries.
On Wednesday, the slugger’s day on the field came to an abrupt end against the Toronto Blue Jays after being hit by a pitch during his first at-bat.
Bowden Francis’ 93 mph fastball hit and bruised the 31-year-old’s left elbow. MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki reported that Harper would be further evaluated to determine the extent of the injury.
Edmundo Sosa replaced Harper in the third inning.
Upper body injuries are common practise when it comes to Harper, as last week the Las Vegas-native revealed he’s been playing through a sore wrist since May and a sore right elbow more recently.
After taking a swing in Tuesday’s 10-9 win over the Jays, the Phillies star winced but stayed in the game. Philadelphia manager Rob Thomson said that Harper’s elbow “grabs a little bit” when he swings and misses, but said he was “fine” overall.
Harper had Tommy John surgery on his right elbow following the 2022 World Series, but told MLB.com this latest irritation is unrelated.
So far Harper is slashing .282/.372/.892 in the 2024 MLB regular season but hasn’t homered since Aug. 9.
