The Philadelphia Phillies have dropped seven of their last eight games, losing their grip on first place in the National League East and slipping 2.5 games behind the New York Mets. To make matters worse, things took a darker turn on Saturday.
The team announced that star player Bryce Harper, now in the seventh year of his 13-year, $330 million deal, was placed on the 10-day injured list due to inflammation in his right wrist.
Harper sat out Friday’s matchup against the Pittsburgh Pirates with what was initially labeled as wrist soreness. However, when the discomfort persisted into Saturday, the team decided an IL move was necessary.
Eligible to Return on June 16
The IL placement is retroactive to June 6, making Harper eligible to return on June 16, just in time for a three-game series against the Miami Marlins. However, according to CBS Sports, it remains uncertain whether he’ll be ready by then.
This development follows an incident 10 days earlier when Harper was hit in the right elbow by a pitch from Braves pitcher Spencer Strider. That injury forced him to miss five games, though X-rays showed no structural damage—just a bruise.
It’s unclear if the wrist issue is connected to the elbow injury. Phillies manager Rob Thomson said Harper has been dealing with wrist soreness “for a while,” according to MLB.com.
To fill Harper’s spot on the 26-man roster, the Phillies promoted third baseman Otto Kemp from Triple-A Lehigh Valley. The 25-year-old, ranked as the team’s No. 24 prospect, had been excelling with 14 home runs, an OPS of 1.010, and 11 stolen bases in 55 games. Kemp leads the International League in homers and ranks second in OPS.
Harper Had Surgery on Right Arm After 2022 Season
After the 2022 season, Harper had surgery on the same elbow that was hit by the pitch in May. That operation limited him to 126 games in 2023.
Now four years removed from his 2021 MVP campaign, Harper was batting .258 with an .814 OPS before Friday’s game—his lowest OPS since 2016. His nine home runs in 253 plate appearances project to 22 over a full season, which would be his lowest total since hitting 18 in 2022 (a season shortened to 99 games due to injury).
Thomson now turns to Kemp, who offers greater defensive flexibility than Harper. While primarily a third baseman (33 games), Kemp has also played in left field (8 games), first base (7), and second base (10) this season.