Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper He will undergo ulnar collateral ligament surgery in his right elbow next week, team president Dave Dombrowski told reporters Wednesday, though it wasn’t immediately clear what the recovery timeline would be.
Harper is scheduled to undergo surgery on November 23 for a torn UCL he initially suffered in April. The injury prevented him from playing the field for the rest of the season. The 30-year-old received a platelet-rich plasma injection into his right elbow in May and has shifted to the role of select hitter.
Dombrowski said it is not yet known if Harper will have Tommy John surgery.
“We don’t have any diagnoses, really, even [the surgeon] “He goes to the facility and looks at it,” said Dombrowski. “We will have something at that time with the surgery and expectation something will happen. I think it will slow it down for the season. We will know more next week.”
Harper has been the Phillies’ DH for most of the season, including the playoffs, where he shone. He hit . 400 in the National League Division Series against the Atlanta Braves and . 500 in the NL Championship Series against the San Diego Padres before slowing in the World Series. He reached 200 as the Phillies lost in six games to the Houston Astros.
This week, Harper met with prominent orthopedist Dr. Neil Al-Atrash, who determined the tear had not healed on its own, forcing the planned surgery.
“We always knew this was a possibility. We’ve known it for months,” Dombrowski said.
Dombrowski said Harper’s availability for Opening Day and the early part of next season may not necessarily influence his off-season decision-making. Nick CastellanosAnd the Kyle Schwarber And even the catcher JT Realmoto DH can play.
“You never want to lose Bryce, you really don’t,” Phillies manager Rob Thompson said Wednesday. “While we will miss him, and look forward to having him back, you will give someone else a chance.”
Information from ESPN’s Jesse Rogers and The Associated Press is used in this report.
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