Harper's elbow injury is 'severe and painful' and he has been sidelined for three consecutive games, and the return time is still unclear

Bryce Harper's right elbow injury is going into "hourly assessment" status. The Phillies superstar has missed three straight games (including Friday's home opener against the Brewers) and has not been featured since being elbowed by Spencer Strider's 95-mile speedball on Tuesday. Despite Wednesday's delay due to rain, he missed both of Thursday's double-headers.

"The elbow is still in sharp pain," Harper said before the game on Friday, "and is being treated, but the timing of his return is undecided." When asked if he was on the injury list, he and manager Rob Thomson were unanimous: "Hopefully not." "X-rays ruled out fractures, but the impact of the injuries was much greater than before. "The location of the hit was unique, and the swelling was hard to go away," Harper admits. He has yet to try to swing a bat, and on Friday he wore only compression sleeves for first-base catches (no passing).

Thomson stressed that it was important to "wait until the swelling subsided and the pain largely disappeared" before he could come back. The notable change is that the two-time MVP, who barely wore elbow pads in his career, loosened his mind about protective gear: "Probably wearing the kind of protective gear that was used after Tommy John's surgery in 2023." He revealed that he tried it on in spring training but felt a lot of discomfort, and now has to compromise because the pitcher continues to attack the inside corner high post (26 touches after joining the Phillies and more than 124 in the major leagues in the last five years).

Harper's memories of the touch ball are full of shadows: a 97-mile speedball that fractured his left thumb in 2022, a 2021 shot to the face, a smashed left elbow in September last year, and a 92-mile ball in spring training this year hit the same spot. "I understand that inside corners are the strategy of the game," he said, "but now the speed is even more terrifying. Despite this, he stuck to his position: "Never back down from the front of home plate, that's my style. "

As the Brewers roared through Citizens Bank Stadium, Harper's No. 34 jersey hung quietly in the locker room. At this moment, his battle is a silent wrestling with a swollen elbow.