Phillies Injury Updates: Harper unavailable off the bench in win against Dodgers

The Latest Phillies Injury Updates

• Bryce Harper (bruised left hand)
• Status: Out of the lineup for July 10 game vs. Dodgers
• A day after returning from the injured list with a hamstring injury, Harper is out of the lineup. His glove hand is sore after fielding a liner during the July 9 game against the Dodgers. Manager Rob Thomson said postgame that the swelling is down, but there is still bruising in Harper’s glove hand. He was not available off the bench. They’ll see if he is able to play on Thursday. (Updated by Destiny Lugardo on July 10)

• Taijuan Walker (right index finger inflammation)
• Status: 15-day injured list, retroactive to June 22; out for remainder of first half
• Walker has inflammation in his right index finger and a blister on the inside (right) of it. RHP Michael Mercado was called up to take his spot on the 26-man roster.
• Walker threw a bullpen session on Wednesday, July 10. Thomson said his splitter looked good. He will either throw another bullpen or throw live batting practice on Saturday, July 13. Thomson is unsure of how many rehab starts Walker will need before returning. (Updated by Destiny Lugardo on July 10)

• Zack Wheeler (back spasms)
• Status: Unclear if he will make next start
• Zack Wheeler was lifted early from his July 9 start against the Dodgers with left low back tightness. He had dealt with back issues in each of his last two starts, but the Phillies have been able to treat it and keep Wheeler on the mound.
• An MRI on Wheeler’s back revealed no structural damage, but he’s still sore. It’s unclear if Wheeler will make his next scheduled start on Sunday, July 14 against the Oakland Athletics. Thomson mentioned that the Phillies are ideally set up for a bullpen game if Wheeler cannot pitch because it is a day before the break and Thomson can make sure all of his relievers get work before the layoff. (Updated by Destiny Lugardo on July 10)

• J.T. Realmuto (right knee surgery)
• Status: 10-day injured list, retroactive to June 10; should be back for second half
• The Phillies announced on June 11 that Realmuto had been placed on the injured list with right knee pain. He underwent successful right knee meniscectomy surgery on June 12. At the time of his placement on the IL, Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski estimated the team would be without Realmuto for “about a month” following the completion of his procedure.
• Realmuto said he initially suffered the tear during an early May rainy game against the Giants as he was rounding third. He played through the injury, but he was unable to tolerate the pain, making surgery a necessity.
• Realmuto once again took batting practice on the field before the July 10 game against the Dodgers. He is targeting a return after the All-Star break. (Updated by Destiny Lugardo on July 10)

• Andrew Painter (Tommy John surgery)
• Status: Minor league 60-day injured list
• The No. 1 overall prospect in the Phillies’ minor league system underwent Tommy John surgery on July 25, 2023.
• Painter is throwing 25-pitch bullpens every Tuesday and Friday. He’s only throwing fastballs and changeups currently. Thomson didn’t rule out the 21-year-old pitching in simulated games — which are a controlled setting — before the end of the year. However, he doesn’t believe he’ll be pitching for an affiliate at any point in 2024. (Updated by Tim Kelly on June 29)

• Luis Ortiz (Tommy John surgery)
• Status: 15-day injured list
• Ortiz is set to undergo Tommy John surgery on July 11, Thomson announced. Ortiz had previously departed a rehab appearance with Triple-A Lehigh Valley on June 18 with forearm discomfort. (Updated by Tim Kelly on June 29)

• Spencer Turnbull (right lat strain)
• Status: 15-day injured list, out 6-8 weeks
• Turnbull will be out until August with a right lat strain. He was lifted from his start against the Detroit Tigers after three innings on June 26 with right shoulder soreness. He expressed optimism about his status to reporters in Detroit after the game, but testing revealed a more significant injury.
• “With his injury history, we’re gonna be careful with him and make sure we do this thing right,” Thomson said on June 27. (Updated by Destiny Lugardo on June 28)

• Michael Rucker (right hand arterial vasospasm)
• Status: 60-day injured list
• Rucker threw a bullpen session on May 14, and is set to throw another one on May 17.
• Rucker was transferred from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day injured list on June 3.
• The plan is for Rucker to make a rehab appearance for Triple-A Lehigh Valley on June 21. (Updated by Tim Kelly on June 19)

• Dylan Covey (right shoulder strain)
• Status: 60-day injured list
• Covey is still dealing with his shoulder strain, and was backed off of throwing. As he was doing some conditioning work, he also slightly pulled a hamstring. He was in Philadelphia on May 8 seeing team doctors, but was expected to head back to Clearwater on May 10.
• Covey was transferred from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day injured list on June 1. (Updated by Bailey Digh on June 4)

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