"Why is he not wearing a guard?" - Fans concerned for Bryce Harper after HBP on surgically repaired elbow

On Tueday's afternoon's contest between the rivals Phillies and Braves, superstar Bryce Harper was hit with a fastball up and in by Spencer Strider. The former MVP took a 95 mile an hour fast ball to his unguarded surgically repaired right elbow that sparked gasps around Citizens Bank Park.

The incident ignited voices of concern for Harper, who was batting .267 with an OPS of .825 with eight home runs and 33 RBIs this season.

Expand Tweet

"Should be wearing an elbow guard on that repaired elbow. Hope he’s ok," a fan sent well wishes.

"I'm a Mets fan and I hope he's okay. Baseball needs its stars," one fan shared.

"Hate to see that - not my team, but Harper is such a force for Phillies," a fan stated.

"Feel better bro," one fan wished.

While others expressed their concern for Harper and wished him well, some criticized Strider for throwing at the Phillies star.

"Strider needs to be banned," a fan suggested.

"Screw Strider. Arrogant p*s," a fan exclaimed.

Another asked:

"Why is he not wearing a guard?"

Expand Tweet

Fortunately for the Phillies and Bryce Harper, the x-rays for the surgically repaired elbow produced negative results for any tear or fractures. With Philadelphia coming away with a 2-0 victory against the NL East foes, Wednesday's contest is shaping up to be an interesting one if the team would take necessary measures to get one back for their star man.

Bryce Harper's position change due to elbow ailment

In May 2022, it was determined that Bryce Harper suffered a small tear in his ulnar collateral ligament or UCL on his right elbow. This forced the Phillies' coaching staff to move the two-time MVP to designated hitter.

Expand Tweet

Harper recieved a platelet-rich plasma shot to ease the pain of his injury but eventually underwent Tommy John surgery in November of the same year. After spending most of the 2023 season in DH, the eight-time All-Star moved to first base and has been a fixture in the position ever since as to not reaggravate his surgically repaired elbow.

Although not noticeable on the surface, several noteworthy stats regarding Harper's batting statistics have changed, nay decreased, since his UCL tear. From 2019 until 2022, Harper hovered around the Top 8% of exit velocity at around 92 miles an hour. Since 2023, his averages have hovered around the 91 MPH mark.

Bryce Harper's hard hit percentage have also taken a noticeable dip from 49.7% in 2022 to 48.2% in 2024. Finally, after his transition to a different role, Harper's barrel percentage took a huge drop from 88% three years ago to 73% last season.

About the author

Daniel Santiago is a journalist who has been reporting on baseball at Sportskeeda since 2022. He was drawn towards the sport after the underlying statistics and the analysis surrounding it grabbed his attention.

Daniel particularly enjoys furnishing reports about historic events in baseball and analyzing the game through a statistic-based outlook, based on Fangraphs and Baseball-Reference. This is in line with how he enjoyed watching baseball as a pastime. As a writer, he is very particular about cross-checking from reputable sources and doing his due diligence.

He became a lifelong Hideki Matsui fan after his exploits in the 2009 World Series for the New York Yankees. Among the current generation, Daniel's favorites include Shohei Ohtani and Jung Hoo Lee. Daniel is a huge follower of Asian baseball and both Ohtani and Lee have been in the top echelon of their respective leagues during their time with the NPB and KBO.

His favorite moment as a baseball fan was the final at-bat of the 2023 World Baseball Classic between Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout. He believes there aren't many words to fittingly describe the intensity of the moment.

As an avid sports fan, Daniel watches other sports and Esports when not writing about baseball.

Know More

Edited by Daniel Santiago