By: Avery Scartelli
The Major League Baseball season officially started on March 30. The Philadelphia Phillies kicked off their season within away game against the Texas Rangers. The Phillies lost with a score of 7 to 11. The first home game, scheduled to be played at Citizens Bank Park on April 6th, was postponed and rescheduled to April 7th. The April 7th game was won by the Phillies against the Cincinnati Reds with the score of five to two. Philadelphia Phillies currently has a record of four wins and nine losses. Many fans believe a big reason the Phillies have a losing record is because their star player Bryce Harper injured his elbow in April 2022. Harper played through his injury as a designated hitter for most of the remaining 2022 season. After the Phillies lost in the World Series, Bryce Harper underwent Tommy John surgery in November 2022. Although the surgery requires much recovery, Bryce Harper is on the mend. He has been attending batting practice hitting off pitching machines and taking ground balls at first base. Harper seems ready to bat, but that is not what’s keeping him from returning. The fan favorite has not yet been cleared by his doctor to slide. Harper is an aggressive base runner and often rapidly slides. There are many risks that come with allowing Harper to slide, one of them being that with one false move, he could rupture his ulnar collateral ligament again. Bryce Harper is not yet fully recovered, but he’s on the right track!
