Under The Knife 6/27/22

Pads for Hands

Programming note: No UTK this Friday. I’ll cover things if there’s a significant injury with a “Flash”, but otherwise I’m taking a long weekend for my birthday. Don’t ask what number.

The first three injuries here, including a significant one to one of the biggest stars in the game, were all preventable. I’m not sure why it seems that more players are being hit on the hand this season - more sinkers? - but with increased velocity and movement, getting in on the hands is going to happen. I don’t believe it’s intentional by pitchers or those designing/calling pitches. This, this is part of the game.

That means it’s on hitters, and those advising hitters, to adjust. The easiest adjustment is to wear protective gloves. There are many types, but it is not like these type of gloves don’t exist. Do a quick search, or look at the first one that came up for me, and this is not that protection doesn’t exist, but that it’s not worn. Why do the same players that wear an elbow guard and a shin guard not wear a pair of padded gloves? That’s to say nothing of the more extreme cricket gloves, which would work and are not against any of the rules in baseball.

That doesn’t mean it would protect all of them, especially Harper’s thumb, but it could reduce them, not just at the MLB level, but on down. I’ve actually seen some of these gloves in high school and tournament play, so there’s hope they’ll trickle up. Almost all of these are under $100 and readily available. If I’m the Phillies, or the Reds, Orioles, or really any high level team, I’m suggesting and providing protective gloves to my players. Someone tell me why not.

Now, let’s get to the injuries, starting with all those HBPs:

BRYCE HARPER, OF/DH PHI (fractured thumb)

Bryce Harper has a fractured thumb. I’ve spoken about the team trying to find rest for him, but they definitely didn’t want six weeks on the shelf, though if you’re looking for a positive, this is a good time to work on that elbow more aggressively. There’s even the option to shut him down - very unlikely - and fix the elbow, if needed. The most likely is that Harper will be back as soon as his grip is, but there’s really no way to speed this up.

Harper has been remarkably durable throughout his career given how hard he plays. He’s had some minor dings, but these two injuries - the elbow sprain and fractured thumb - are his two biggest of his career and will be a challenge. Can Harper stay engaged? Can he follow a rehab or will he be pushing or overdoing things? There’s some suggestion that all that diving and sprinting is catching up to him at age-29.

There’s no suggestion that Harper will need surgery, but while you’ll likely hear the “four to six week” as the return window, it’s almost always on the longer end of that or even beyond. Bones heal, but they heal on their own time and there’s no intervention that really seems to speed that up in any meaningful way.

There’s simply no way of replacing Harper’s production, but suggestions that Kyle Schwarber will drop off means that the myth of protection still has some cultists. Harper’s return, I think, will depend on how they do without him and where the Phillies find themselves in the standings.