LAS VEGAS (AP) — Philadelphia slugger Bryce Harper is set to have his damaged right elbow checked next week to see whether surgery will be needed.
The two-time NL MVP tore an elbow ligament in April and couldn’t play the outfield for the rest of the year.
Harper, who turned 30 in October, will meet with prominent orthopedist Dr. Neal ElAttrache on Monday to have his torn ulnar collateral ligament examined.
“It could be no surgery to Tommy John surgery," Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski told reporters Wednesday at the MLB general managers' meetings in Las Vegas. “We’ll just have to wait and see what the doctor says.”
Harper batted .286 with 18 home runs and 65 RBIs in 99 games. He was a force as the Phillies’ designated hitter and led their push into the World Series, where they lost in six games to Houston.
“It did not bother his elbow to hit,” Dombrowski said. “So that’s one good thing.”
In late June, Harper suffered a broken thumb when he was hit by a pitch and was sidelined for two months.
Harper signed a $330 million, 13-year contract as a free agent to join the Phillies for the 2019 season. A seven-time All-Star, he was the MVP of the NL Championship Series this year.
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