Bryce Harper fielded ground balls at first base for about 20 minutes pregame at Citizens Bank Park Friday afternoon but was out of the lineup for a third straight game and has yet to resume swinging.
Harper was hit on the right elbow by a 95 mph Spencer Strider fastball in the first inning Tuesday and has been out since. It was the same elbow Harper had surgically repaired in November 2022.
"Still super sore," he said Friday. "Obviously doing treatment. Not sure when I'm gonna play again.
With our All Access Daily newsletter, stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Philadelphia sports teams!
SIGN UP HERE "He hit me in a pretty bad spot. The swelling's gone down, which is good, but it's a pretty tough spot where he got me. Just trying to be smart about it."
Both Harper and manager Rob Thomson said Friday that they don't think he will require a stint on the 10-day injured list, but it will depend how he progresses. Harper probably won't swing in the cage Friday, he said.
If time on the injured list does become necessary, the Phillies could backdate it to May 28 and Harper would be first eligible to return next Saturday in Pittsburgh. If they feel he could be back sooner, for the Phils' series in Toronto Tuesday through Thursday, they could just keep him active and play a man short on the bench this weekend.
Harper is no stranger to this. He's been hit 18 times in the last five seasons, not a massive amount, but too many have been in dangerous places. Tuesday, it was the right elbow. In February, it was the right triceps. Last September, it was his left elbow. In 2022, Blake Snell broke his thumb with a 96 mph fastball and Harper missed two months. In 2021, hard-throwing reliever Genesis Cabrera hit Harper in the face with a 97 mph fastball that also deflected off his wrist, injuring it.
Philadelphia Phillies
Find the latest Philadelphia Phillies news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Philadelphia.
"That's where teams go against me," Harper said. "It's a bummer just because guys throw so hard now. It's where guys go, sinkers in, heaters up-and-in. I understand throwing inside, I totally get that, I'm all for it, getting guys off pitches. But just control, guys throw a little too hard now to do that up-and-in.
"I'm not gonna back off the plate, I've always been on top of the plate. Like I said, I totally get throwing inside, it's part of the game. It's just a little scarier nowadays because guys throw harder. There's a little bit of give-and-take with that. Wearing a brace, wearing an armguard, it helps with that."
When Harper returns, he will wear a guard on the elbow. It sounds like he's going to double-brace it. He used a bulky brace to protect his right arm upon returning from Tommy John surgery in May 2023. It's a delicate balance because it can't be too cumbersome or it affects a hitter's swing.
"There's times where I'm ok with it, there's other times where it feels kinda weird," he said. "We found a brace that I wore during the Tommy John, so I'll probably wear that again and a brace on top of that just to kinda feel it out. It's really hard to find braces that feel good. I haven't really worn them my whole career, I have here and there just to feel it."
Harper experimented with a brace in Clearwater, not because he felt he needed it then but to get a sense of how it felt in case something like this happened.
"I did it in spring training this year just because of this reason," he said. "I didn't like the way it felt. Obviously just got to figure it out."
Harper had been hot for three weeks before the derailment. He's hit .329 with 10 extra-base hits and 17 RBI in his last 21 games, 16 of which the Phillies won.