Bryce Harper battling through notable elbow injury

Aug 5, 2019; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Bryce Harper against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Bryce Harper has not played in the outfield in some time, and that will continue for the foreseeable future.

Phillies manager Joe Girardi announced Thursday that Harper has been diagnosed with a small UCL tear. Harper will not throw for a month, but the team hopes to get him on a program after that.

Girardi said the Phillies had another test done on Harper last week that showed a small tear in his UCL. They had him visit Dr. ElAttrache this morning, who confirmed that it is a small tear. He’ll be a no throw for four weeks; they hope he’ll start a throwing program after that

— Alex Coffey (@byalexcoffey) May 12, 2022

The injury does not impact Harper’s hitting, and he will continue to be able to DH. He is hitting .269 with six home runs despite dealing with the issue for much of the season. That said, Harper has not started in the outfield since April 16, and that will not change anytime soon. Harper’s defense is a significant part of his value, so the team certainly misses him.

The Phillies have struggled this season and find themselves just 14-17 despite being a preseason contender. This would be much worse if Harper couldn’t play at all, but as it is, he will still be able to provide his bat and his clubhouse leadership.