PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia Phillies slugger Bryce Harper will have surgery next week to repair the tear in the ulnar collateral ligament of his right elbow that forced the outfielder to spend the bulk of this season as a designated hitter.
Phillies President Dave Dombrowski said Wednesday there was no timetable on Harper's recovery until after the surgery, which was scheduled for Nov. 23.
Harper suffered the small tear in April and last played right field at Miami on April 16. The 30-year-old had a platelet-rich plasma injection in his right elbow in May and shifted to the designated hitter role.
The elbow injury did little to slow his offense as he led the Phillies to their first World Series since 2009. Harper did miss time because he broke his left thumb when he was hit by a pitch in the summer but still hit .286 with 18 home runs and 65 RBIs. He was named NLCS MVP and hit six home runs overall in the playoffs.
Harper left Washington and signed a 13-year, $330 million free-agent contract with the Phillies in 2019 and won the NL MVP award in 2021.
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