Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Girardi: Harper’s injury pleasingly progressing
PHILADELPHIA » Bryce Harper missed a third consecutive game Wednesday with a slow-to-heal bruised wrist.
He won’t necessarily miss a fourth.
“I have not seen Bryce today, but we expect him to do a little bit more,” Joe Girardi said before a 5-4 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers. “I’m not sure exactly what that means, but he’s definitely making progress.”
Harper’s injury is linked to being hit in the face by a pitched ball that bounced onto his wrist. Though he was trying to play through the pain, it grew during a Sunday game against the Mets when he tried to dive into third base.
“It’s just a contusion, is what it is,” Girardi said. “That’s how they’re diagnosing it. That caused some swelling. He got hit, then there was the ricochet. Then he fell back and irritated it.
“There was some swelling. But it was considerably down Tuesday.” Girardi added that Harper did “two or three rounds of treatment” both Tuesday and Wednesday.
• • • Jean Segura, out since April 20 with a quad injury, continues to do a rehab assignment in Allentown. It’s possible that he could return by Thursday afternoon, when the Phils host Milwaukee at 1:05.
“I think he started hitting in the cage four or five days after the injury occurred,” Girardi said. “Jean is a pretty quick healer. He’s dealt with a lot of leg problems and he understands what he has to do to stay healthy.”
Nick Maton started at second Wednesday.
“When Jean comes back,” Girardi said, “we’re going to have to sit down and decide what we’re going to do.”
• • • As for other hurts, Matt Joyce injured his calf Wednesday and was placed on the 10-day injured list.
“He’s been battling a back a little bit,” Girardi said. “He’s had good days and bad days and I could only use him sparingly. But he tweaked his calf, too.”
Roman Quinn, who required nine stitches in his right index finger after being hit with a pitch Tuesday while trying to bunt, is on the 10-day IL.
Before it was clear that the bleeding was too strong, Quinn was willing to try to play through the issue.
“I’m a savage, man,” he said. “I grind through whatever. I knew it felt numb but I felt like I could get through it. Then I took my glove off and saw that it was still bleeding. I said, ‘That explains why it was still kind of numb.’”
• • • Expecting to miss Quinn’s speed, the Phillies are considering making roster room for outfielder Travis Jankowski.
While not on the 40-man roster, Jankowski is playing for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. He has six years of major league experience with San Diego and Cincinnati.
In 2018, the career .238 hitter stole 24 bases for the Padres.
“His name comes up,” Girardi said. “He played pretty well in spring training. He’s a really good defender. He has speed. The key for him is to get on base at a high clip, because he is going to create havoc. He’s probably not as prolific a stolen-base guy as Roman. But he can run.”
• • • Two days after sending Scott Kingery to the minors to finally, once and for all, without question, correct his hitting stroke, the Phillies recalled him again Wednesday. Mickey Moniak was also recalled.
Though the Phillies keep insisting that Kingery will remain in Allentown until he is right, circumstances never
allow him to stay there long enough for the required repairs.
“We’re in a difficult stretch,” Girardi said. “I don’t think this is what we necessarily would choose to do had everyone been healthy.”
Kingery’s development is secondary to winning games.
“The first priority is ‘here’,” Girardi said. “And we’ve got to make sure that we’re always covered here. Then we will try to get players as right as possible when we can.”
Kingery struck out swinging as a seventh-inning pinch-hitter, his average dipping to .125.
• • • Archie Bradley has been playing catch as he tries to recover from an oblique injury that has rendered him unavailable since April 10.
“He’s not ready to get on the mound yet,” Girardi said. “He went through a sickness where he was out four or five days. But he’s feeling better.”
Bradley was scheduled for more light throwing work Wednesday. By Thursday, the Phils hope to have him on a more specific plan for a return.
• • • NOTES » After serving a twogame suspension for his role in a bench-clearing brawl against the Mets, Jose Alvarado struck out two in the ninth for his second save. “I don’t know what happened there,” he said. “I just follow my plan. When the manager says to be ready, I’ll be ready.” ... Zack Wheeler (2-2, 3.49) will oppose Milwaukee right-hander Brandon Woodruff (2-0, 1.80) in the series finale Thursday.