Bryce Harper on wrist injury: ‘It got to the point where I can’t really function on the baseball field’
The Phillies have placed Bryce Harper on the 10-day injured list. The first baseman has right wrist inflammation, per the club. Harper’s IL placement is retroactive to Friday (June 6).
Harper wasn’t in the Phillies’ starting lineup on Friday night. Manager Rob Thomson told reporters, including Paul Casella of MLB.com, that Harper had been dealing with a wrist issue “for a while” and he told trainers it was bothering him more than usual when he arrived at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. Thomson believed Harper to be day-to-day. Now, he lands on the injured list.
Harper’s absence on Friday came three days after returning to his team’s lineup. Harper missed five games last week with a right elbow contusion suffered when hit by a Spencer Strider fastball on May 27. In his return on Tuesday, Harper homered in his first at-bat. It was his only hit against the Blue Jays in Toronto. Harper finished the three-game series 1-for-11 with five strikeouts. He’s batting .258 with a .814 OPS on the year.
Harper dealt with a wrist problem for a chunk of last season. Harper told reporters on Saturday, including NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Corey Seidman, that this injury is similar.
“It’s similar,” Harper said. “It’s definitely similar.”
The two-time NL MVP’s wrist pain, which he told reporters returned earlier this season, became too much to try to play through. He wants it to heal before trying to play again.
“It got to the point where I can’t really function on the baseball field or hit a baseball,” Harper said. “Just a good time for me to take some time and get it right. Felt it early in the season and tried to play through it as long as I could.”
Harper will be eligible to return on June 16. He doesn’t know when he’ll be ready to come back. It’ll depend on how he responds to treatment.
“We’ve got to get it to calm down and get out there when I can,” Harper said.
Added to the 40-man roster and taking Harper’s place on the Phillies’ active roster is infielder/outfielder Otto Kemp. Kemp is in Saturday’s starting lineup, batting seventh and playing third base. It will be his MLB debut.
The 25-year-old Kemp was hitting .313/.416/.594 at Triple-A Lehigh Valley before his promotion, with 19 doubles and 14 home runs in 269 plate appearances. Kemp doesn’t have a specific defensive spot on the field. His glove work is a question mark. Most of his defensive innings this year have been logged at third base for the IronPigs. Kemp’s also received playing time at second, first and started playing left field recently.
Along with Harper’s IL placement and Kemp’s promotion, the Phillies optioned right-hander Alan Rangel to Lehigh Valley. Rangel made his MLB debut on Friday night, pitching three innings and allowing two runs. Right-hander Daniel Robert was recalled to take Rangel’s spot in the bullpen.