Joe Girardi shares why he withheld injury information about Bryce Harper

Joe Girardi admitted on Tuesday that he withheld injury information regarding Bryce Harper.

The Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday placed Harper on the injured list due to a forearm contusion. The transaction validated what most believed was the case with Harper: he was injured.

Harper has not played since May 22 after missing Sunday and Monday’s games. In a four-game span from May 19-May 22, Harper went 0-for-16 with 10 strikeouts. He very clearly was not himself.

Even though Harper looked like something was wrong, Girardi denied the former NL MVP was injured.

Girardi said it's just another day to reset Harper. The manager said there are no injury concerns. Meanwhile, Didi Gregorius was eligible to be activated today, but it doesn't sound like he is close.

— Matt Gelb (@MattGelb) May 24, 2021

So what happened?

Girardi says he denied there was anything wrong with Harper medically because he did not want to give a competitive advantage to the Phillies’ opponents.

Girardi said he withheld information and did not tell the truth to reporters asking about Harper's health over the last few days because he believed it was a competitive advantage.

— Matt Gelb (@MattGelb) May 25, 2021

Well, that settles that. Now the charade is over and Harper is on the injured list.

The 28-year-old is batting .274 with seven home runs this season.