Soon after the Phillies posted a lineup without superstar first baseman Bryce Harper for the third consecutive game on Friday afternoon, Harper met with reporters to discuss his right elbow injury, caused by a fastball from Atlanta Braves ace Spencer Strider on Tuesday night:
Bryce Harper leaves the game after getting drilled in the elbow by Spencer Strider pic.twitter.com/0OCl3DhJkX
— Ari Alexander (@AriA1exander) May 27, 2025
Harper clearly appeared frustrated to still be out, but still hopes and believes he will avoid a stint on the injured list, which would rule him out for at least another week.
"I hope not," Harper said when asked if he thought he would go on the injured list. "I don't at this point."
Soon after, Phillies manager Rob Thomson echoed a similar sentiment.
"I don't think so," Thomson said when asked the same question. "We'll just have to see. We've got to get the swelling out, [get him] pain-free."
To date, that has not been the case. Harper described himself as "still super sore," and said he is still receiving treatment but has quite a bit of swelling after getting hit in "a really tough spot." The pain has prevented Harper from swinging; he said Friday he would not be swinging a bat for at least another day. He did end up taking some ground balls at first base while wearing a sleeve.
Moving forward, Harper said he will "probably" wear protection of some kind over the elbow, which underwent Tommy John surgery after the Phillies' run to the World Series in 2022. He wore a rather massive brace when returning in 2023, which he was eventually shed. Harper described a hit-and-miss experience finding comfort with guards on his elbow, but he expects to give it another go when he is back in the lineup, particularly given the volume of fastballs he sees up and in.
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Speaking of, Harper made a point to say multiple times that pitching inside is part of baseball, but he did express concern with the increased velocity and what he believes is decreased command in the majors today. While reiterating his understanding of how pitchers can utilize the inner part of the plate, he admitted nowadays it is frustrating and "a little scarier."
Harper did note that Strider generally has "pinpoint control," and while he said Strider has not reached out to him since Tuesday, he volunteered a statement that it was unintentional.
"Obviously there was no intent on it," Harper said. "He's a competitive guy, really good pitcher."
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