March 18, 2024
Nathan Ray Seebeck/USA Today Sports
Bryce Harper has been out with back stiffness for a few days.
Bryce Harper has been two things since joining the Phillies five years ago. He's been really, really good — the face of one of the most passionate and starved franchises in pro sports. And he's been really, really injured.
Harper loves baseball and has fought through countless injuries, had Tommy John surgery that he returned from in record time, and he's accepted a high-profile position change.
Harper has adapted and done everything he can to be on the field and help the Phillies win, but he hasn't been on the field recently in Clearwater, missing three straight spring training games and likely to miss a couple more. This is uncharacteristic at this juncture in the spring, as the rest of his veteran teammates are ramping up for the start of the season in a week and a half.
What's the issue?
"It’s really just [back] stiffness, so I don’t have any concern at all," Phillies manager Rob Thomson told the media (via The Athletic's Jayson Stark). "He’s going to be ready by Opening Day. He’s going to be playing for sure by the end of the week. So ready to go.”
The manager added that his level of concern is “None. Zero.”
Bryce Harper said he is not concerned about the soreness in his lower back. He just wants to be careful with Opening Day 10 days away. Harper said he hopes to play by Friday, whether it's a Grapefruit League game or at the complex in Clearwater.
— Todd Zolecki (@ToddZolecki) March 18, 2024
This is reassuring to hear, but Harper's recent history makes it hard to believe it's not at least a little worrisome. He's been hampered by these same stiff back issues in the past, which seem like tough ones to combat when playing first base.
And with the entire roster now built around Harper being an everyday first baseman, the DH spot isn't really available to him anymore. Kyle Schwarber is the everyday designated hitter, and a Harper move to DH would mean Schwarber is back in left field, which is far from ideal defensively. And then they'd have to figure out who would play first (Jake Cave? Alec Bohm?).
All of this is premature worrying of course. Harper, as the Phillies claim, should be back on the field later this week and could be totally ready for Opening Day. But he's behind right now compared to his typical springs — he's yet to hit a home run for example – and he has never played a full season at first base.
It's worth keeping an eye on. If Harper plays 140 or more games, he'll be a leading NL MVP candidate and the Phillies will be better both offensively and defensively. If he's nursing injuries all year and has the lineup in a scramble, it'll be a little harder for them to make a third straight trip to the postseason.
Opening Day against the Braves is on March 28.
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