Phillies Reveal Impact of Bryce Harper Injury on Offseason Plans

The Philadelphia Phillies received some bad news last week when Bryce Harper underwent Tommy John surgery, sidelining him for much of the 2023 season.

While the Phillies will miss the two-time MVP as they look to return to the World Series, at least they have a full winter to plan for his absence and build the roster accordingly.

According to Philadelphia's president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, however, it sounds like Harper's injury won't have much of an impact on the team's offseason strategy.

Phillies Offseason News

While Dombrowski has built a Hall of Fame career out of making bold, splashy moves, it doesn't sound like he's going to do so to replace Harper in this case.

“I don’t think we are going to rush and sign or make the big trade for an outfielder/DH because, eventually, you’re not going to be able to play that person," Dombrowski told Matt Gelb of The Athletic.

With Harper tentatively expected back around the All-Star break, the Phillies will only have a lineup opening for a few months. Signing a big-name free agent wouldn't make much sense, so Philadelphia is more likely to fill Harper's hole internally or with a low-key acquisition. The team could also opt to rotate different players at designated hitter while having Nick Castellanos man right field, as he did after Harper moved to DH last year.

Either way, the Phillies have plenty of time to consider their options and can tinker with their roster during spring training to see what works. Harper will be missed, but fortunately he shouldn't be gone for too long.