Bryce Harper To Have Surgery on Fractured Left Thumb, Expect Return In Mid-August

Bryce Harper is expected to undergo surgery to repair his fractured left thumb, according to Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer. 

Bryce Harper Injury Update

Harper suffered the significant fracture on Saturday night when he was hit by a wild Blake Snell fastball.

The surgery is a good news, bad news situation, according to the Pro Baseball Docs, and signals that Harper will likely be out until mid-to-late August.

The surgery decision confirms that Harper's fracture is comminuted, meaning the bone was split into multiple pieces, which are either out-of-place or unstable. This is a more significant and complicated injury than a clean break.

The surgery, which will involve placing pins, plates and/or screws, will put the pieces of bone in the right place and improve the thumb bone's healing. 

So, while the injury is worse, the recovery will be stronger.

The Docs would anticipate a six-to-eight week recovery timeline but lean closer to six weeks. 

Because the recovery requires surgery, it is still possible that he will be out for two months, but the Docs are hopeful for a commuted rehab.

For the Phillies, who are 39-35 and just took three of four from the Padres, that means approximately 40 games without their MVP.

Twenty-five-year-old Matt Vierling, who went 2-4 with two runs in Sunday's win, is next in line at right field while Nick Castellanos and Kyle Schwarber are likely to split the DH duties.