PHILADELPHIA — Bryce Harper's tenure as the Phillies' everyday designated hitter will continue for at least the remainder of the season's first half. The doctor who administered Sunday's platelet-rich plasma injection told Harper Wednesday that he should be prohibited from throwing for six weeks, two weeks longer than the original plan.
The new timeline, which was suggested by sports and pain medicine physician Steve Yoon of Los Angeles' Kerlan Jobe Institute, means Harper will not be able to throw a baseball until June 26.
He'll then need to build arm strength before the Phillies can use him in the field, a process that manager Joe Girardi guessed would take an additional three or four weeks. He said it is "safe to say" that Harper will not play the field until August.
The injection was intended to help heal Harper's torn right ulnar collateral ligament, which he said does not bother him when he swings a bat, so he will continue to be the team's designated hitter.
"Our hope is that is not the case," Girardi said when asked if Harper will not play the outfield again this season. "Our hope is that the procedure we did helps it scar over and he's fine. It worked before but there's no 100 percent guarantee."
Harper was out of Wednesday's lineup against San Diego, the third straight game he missed due to soreness from the injection. The team is hopeful that he will return Thursday afternoon. Harper, despite his injury, has been one of baseball's top hitters this season.
And that production would not have been possible had the National League not adopted the designated hitter this season. Without the DH, Harper would likely be on the injured list until at least July.
"We probably would have IL'd him," Girardi said. "But I can't tell you. Maybe we would have carried him as a pinch hitter ... It would have been tough."
