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By Ben Watanabe
Contributing Sports Writer
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For the better part of four years, the Philadelphia Phillies have been playing it safe with Bryce Harper's right elbow.
Now, the gloves aren't entirely off, but the team doesn't seem to be holding him back, either.
With Harper back in right field following the team's trade for Luis Arraez, questions naturally have arisen regarding the state of Harper's surgically repaired elbow. The injury was significant enough to warrant his move to first base in 2023 to lessen the number of high-demand throws he had to make. Now that he's back in the outfield, Harper's arm will bear watching.
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The Phillies are ready for that surveillance, but they're not biting their fingernails with worry.
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"We're not going to tell him how to play," Phillies manager Don Mattingly told reporters Wednesday, per MLB.com's Paul Casella. "He's healthy, so he can throw. There's no reason for him not to make throws. ... It's not like, 'OK, you're not allowed to dive, you're not allowed to go by the wall, you're not allowed to try to throw a guy out at third.' None of that is going on."
Harper, 33, knows his body. This will likely be the fifth time in six years that he's appeared in more than 120 games as he and the team balance short-term absences to avoid long-term ones.
There also are many ways to deploy Harper besides right field. The designated hitter spot is an occasional option if Kyle Schwarber needs a night off, and the team isn't ruling out moving Harper to first base late in games to insert a defensive replacement in right. But Mattingly has been crystal clear that the plan is for Harper to be the primary right fielder for the rest of the season.
They'll need Harper to wring everything he possibly can out of his immense talent. Although the Atlanta Braves are probably out of reach in the NL East, the Phillies entered Thursday holding desperately to the final NL Wild Card spot. Simply put, they aren't putting any restrictions on Harper because they can't afford to. They need all he can give.
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