Bryce Harper has small UCL tear in right elbow, will still DH

Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Bryce Harper has a small UCL tear in his right elbow and will not be able to throw a baseball for four weeks. But, he will still play.

The Philadelphia Phillies are starting a four-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, but they received some  news that could scare fans. But, it is not all bad.

Phillies manager Joe Girardi revealed that star outfielder Bryce Harper has a small UCL tear in his right elbow that will prevent him from throwing a baseball for at least four weeks. Despite this, Harper is expected to play as the team’s designated hitter.

Phillies: Bryce Harper has small UCL tear, but will still play

Harper is scheduled to have a platelet-rich plasma injection this upcoming Sunday, May 15, per Girardi. That means he will not play in the series finale in Los Angeles, and might miss Tuesday, May 17’s game against the San Diego Padres. The hope is that Harper can start a pitching program after four weeks.

The injury occurred back on Apr. 11 against the New York Mets when he made a throw home.

Even though he has the small tear in his elbow, Harper showed that he will be just fine during Philadelphia’s game against Los Angeles on Thursday. In the top of the first inning, Harper took Tyler Anderson deep to centerfield of Dodger Stadium to give the Phillies an early 1-0 lead.

Through 31 games, Harper is slashing .269/.326/.521 while recording six home runs, 19 RBI, 24 runs scored and 32 hits.

Harper can not throw for near a month, but the good thing is that the National League has designated hitter, so the Phillies will not be missing his bat in the order.