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Philadelphia Phillies superstar Bryce Harper's name was left off the lineup card for the team's series opener against one of their fiercest rivals, the New York Mets.
Harper's omission from the lineup comes as something of a shock to Phillies fans, who are concerned that there may be something wrong with his surgically-repaired elbow.
However, it is being reported that Harper's day off is merely a scheduled "maintenance day" as he works his way back to full health. Kyle Schwarber will assume designated hitter duties on Tuesday.
The fact that Bryce Harper's "maintenance day" is coming after the Philadelphia Phillies already had an off-day on Monday is still concerning many fans of the team. Harper is the team's on- and off-field leader, as well as the most beloved player in the City of Brotherly Love in quite some time.
It's been three weeks since Bryce Harper returned to the Philadelphia Phillies lineup. The two-time National League Most Valuable Player had Tommy John surgery performed on his right elbow on November 23, 2022.
Harper was back playing after just 160 days of recovery time. According to ESPN Stats & Info, he broke an MLB record for the fastest recovery from Tommy John surgery, returning to the game after just 160 days. The former record was held by St. Louis Cardinals infielder Tony Womack, who returned to game action 182 days after the procedure in 2004.
So far, Bryce Harper has been limited to DH duties in his 23 games back with the Philadelphia Phillies. His elbow will not be ready to handle the stresses of throwing from the outfield for some time yet.
As the DH, Harper is hitting .306 with three home runs and eight RBIs, as well as 18 runs scored and two stolen bases.
Harper is in his fifth season with the Phillies. He has played 12 MLB seasons in all, the first seven coming with the Washington Nationals. The Nationals selected him first overall in the 2010 MLB Draft, and he had six All-Star seasons in Washington before signing a 13-year, $330 million free-agent contract with Philadelphia.
Bryce Harper is the heartbeat of the Philadelphia Phillies
Harper is not only a superstar talent-wise, but his style of play and leadership make him the unquestioned leader of the Phillies. Philadelphia heads into their series with the Mets at 25-28 on the season, 6.5 games behind the division-leading Atlanta Braves in the NL East race.
