Bryce Harper’s Bad Elbow Could Delay His 2023 Debut, Phillies Say

The nagging elbow injury that plagued Bryce Harper through much of the 2022 baseball season could also rear its ugly head in 2023.

With the elbow still hurting, the two-time National League MVP will undergo surgery next week, according to Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski.

Harper, whose postseason exploits helped the underdog Phillies win an unexpected pennant, may still be recovering when the team gathers for spring training in Clearwater, FL in February.

“We have no prognosis,” Dombrowski told reporters. “We have to wait until [the surgeon] goes into the elbow and looks at it. I think it will slow him down for the season but we’ll know more next week.”

That means Thanksgiving could have an unintended extra meaning for the Phillies this year.

Harper’s operation will take place in Los Angeles at the start of Thanksgiving week, with Dr. Neal ElAttrache the lead surgeon.

Harper, 30, hit .349 with six home runs and 13 runs batted in during the post-season, winning MVP honors for the NL Championship Series. He also got to play in the World Series for the first time in his 11-year career.

Injuries hampered Harper throughout the 2022 season. He played only eight games in right field, his regular position, before moving to designated hitter duties. He later missed 52 games after surgery to repair a thumb broken by a Blake Snell pitch.

Although the elbow interfered with his ability to throw, Harper thrived as a DH. He finished with a .286 batting average, 18 home runs and 65 runs batted in but had a .364 on-base average and .514 slugging percentage.

Harper’s status could change Philadelphia’s free-agent strategy, Dombrowski conceded.

“In the backs of our minds there will be discussions of ‘What do we do if?’” the executive said. “We’re looking at him coming back and DH-ing for some portion [of the season].”

When Harper went down last season, the Phillies promoted minor-league slugger Darrick Hall to fill the DH role. Hall hit nine home runs but batted .250 and had a low .282 on-base percentage because he rarely waited for walks (five times in 41 games).

Veteran free agents who could serve as designated hitters for the Phils include Nelson Cruz, J.D. Martinez, Matt Carpenter, and former Phillie Andrew McCutchen. Martinez would probably command the highest price.

Harper, who just completed his fourth year with the Phillies after seven seasons with Washington, is a devastating left-handed slugger when healthy. Harper carries a career batting average of .280 and has hit more than 30 home runs in a season four times. He has also posted three seasons with an OPS [on-base plus slugging] percentage of over 1.000.

He signed a 13-year, $330 million free-agent contract with the club just as spring training was starting in 2019.