Philadelphia Phillies manager Joe Girardi announced last night that last year's MVP, Bryce Harper, will not throw for at least four weeks after an injury suffered this week. Bryce Harper has been diagnosed with a small tear in his right ulnar collateral ligament. The Phillies are currently 15-17 and have struggled a bit to start the year.The news of Bryce Harper being unable to throw may have a huge effect on the Phillies' season and their playoff aspirations. Phillies manager Joe Girardi spoke on the news after the game last night.Jayson Stark@jaysonst“The ripple effect of this injury goes well beyond the outfield.”The #Phillies have shut down Bryce Harper from throwing for at least 4 more weeks.Some thoughts from me on what this means.theathletic.com/news/phillies-…12827“The ripple effect of this injury goes well beyond the outfield.”The #Phillies have shut down Bryce Harper from throwing for at least 4 more weeks.Some thoughts from me on what this means.theathletic.com/news/phillies-…"'The ripple effect of this injury goes well beyond the outfield.' The #Phillies have shut down Bryce Harper from throwing for at least 4 more weeks. Some thoughts from me on what this means." - @ Jayson StarkDespite the injury, Harper will still be in the daily lineup as the DH. Joe Girardi spoke a few weeks ago about having the DH and how important it is for the Phillies.Tim Kelly@TimKellySportsJoe Girardi: “Thank God for the DH”You don’t miss pitchers batting? “Nope.”He mentioned there’s already a lot of pitchers injured, and even more would be if they were hitting. Also Bryce Harper would be out of the lineup.666Joe Girardi: “Thank God for the DH”You don’t miss pitchers batting? “Nope.”He mentioned there’s already a lot of pitchers injured, and even more would be if they were hitting. Also Bryce Harper would be out of the lineup."Joe Girardi:'Thank God for the DH' You don't miss pitchers batting? 'Nope.' He mentioned there's already a lot of pitchers injured, and even more would be if they were hitting. Also Bryce Harper would be out of the lineup." - @ Tim KellyWhile the injury will not keep him out of the lineup, the Phillies will be limited defensively without the All-Star. The Phillies will rely on Nick Castellanos and Kyle Schwarber in the outfield during his absence.Bryce Harper homers despite injury in Phillie's wild win over DodgersPhiladelphia Phillies v Los Angeles DodgersThe Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first game of a four-game series at Dodger Stadium last night. Zack Wheeler got the start for the Phillies and did his part, going 5.1 innings and allowing three runs on seven strikeouts.The Phillies offense exploded for nine runs, the first run courtesy of the 2021 NL MVP in the first inning.Starting 9@Starting93 hours ago: Bryce Harper has a partial tear in his UCL1st at bat tonight:603573 hours ago: Bryce Harper has a partial tear in his UCL1st at bat tonight: https://t.co/KF43RxqDcZ"3 hours ago: Bryce Harper has a partial tear in his UCL. 1st at bat tonight:" - @ Starting 9The Phillies would jump out to a 7-1 lead before allowing the Dodgers to come all the way back and tie the game in the bottom of the eighth inning. It looked as if the Phillies were going to repeat what happened on May 5 against the New York Mets, where they blew a 7-1 lead in the ninth inning.The Phillies would answer in the top of the ninth inning, though, scoring two runs to win by a score of 9-7. The Phillies are now 15-17 on the season, 6.5 games behind the Mets in the National League East. For more news and updates, go to the Sportskeeda Baseball page.