Whether Bryce Harper can now been seen as injury prone should be up for debate. The all-world outfielder injured his left thumb sliding into third base on a bases-loaded triple Friday night against the San Diego Padres.
Harper, who was hitting .289 with one homer and nine runs batted in, has had injury issues in the past. He missed 46 games due to injury last season and sat out another 23 games as a rookie in 2012. It’s been Harper’s all-out play, diving into the wall and the like, that has forced him out of action in the past.
THIS JUST IN: Bryce Harper to undergo surgery to repair torn thumb ligament, out until early July. (via @keithlaw) pic.twitter.com/b8ouvee1OB
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 28, 2014
Interestingly enough, Harper’s injury Friday night comes on the heels of some questioning his willingness to go all-out on the basepaths. It’s your darned if you do and darned if you don’t, I suppose.
In any event, the likes of Nate McClouth, Kevin Frendsen, Tyler Moore and Scott Hairston promise to vie for playing time with Harper out. The logical conclusion here is that McClouth will get the first chance. The veteran signed a two-year, $10.75 million contract in the offseason, but is currently 4-of-34 from the plate in 20 games this year.
Photo: Tommy Gilligan, USA Today