Phils’ Harper won’t play right field for six weeks
Bryce Harper sat out a third straight game as he recovers from a platelet-rich plasma injection in his right elbow, and the reigning National League MVP likely won’t play right field again until late July, Philadelphia manager Joe Girardi said. Doctors said Harper, who has an ulnar collateral ligament tear in his throwing elbow, should not throw for at least six weeks. The 29-year-old Las Vegas native, who hasn’t played right field since April
16, is hitting .305 with nine home runs, 27 RBIS, six steals and a .994 OPS in 34 games this season.
■ Twins: Two-time All-star shortstop Carlos Correa (right middle finger contusion) was activated from the injured list, and thriving rookie shortstop Royce Lewis was sent back to Triple-a St. Paul. Correa, 27, sidelined 11 games, was hitting .255 with five doubles, two homers and 11 RBIS in 94 at-bats before the injury. Lewis, 22, the 2017 draft’s first pick, hit .308 with four doubles, two homers and five RBIS over 39 at-bats in Correa’s absence.
■ Media: Fans have watched more than 2.8 billion minutes of game action on MLB. TV through the regular season’s first 40 days. That is a record for the streaming platform and a 9 percent increase over the same period last year. Three of the most-watched days on the 20-year-old streaming package have come this season.
■ Guardians: Manager Terry Francona and bench coach Demarlo Hale cleared health and safety protocols and returned to the team after missing four games with COVID-19. Coaches Sandy Alomar Jr. and Mike Sarbaugh remain sidelined after testing positive.