Bryce (wrist) sidelined 'a day or two at least'
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PHILADELPHIA -- Bryce Harper's left wrist remains sore, but the Phillies have no plans to place him on the injured list.
Harper could not play in Monday night’s 4-3 victory over the Brewers at Citizens Bank Park because of lingering pain in his wrist. Harper injured it Wednesday in St. Louis, after a fastball struck him on the face and deflected off his arm. Harper returned to the lineup Sunday night against the Mets, but he aggravated the wrist after landing on it when he tried to hold up while rounding third base in the sixth inning.
Phillies doctors evaluated Harper on Monday.
“Harp is doing OK,” Phillies manager Joe Girardi said after the game. “We’ll continue to treat [him]. He’s day to day, but it’s probably a day or two at least.”
The Phillies started Odúbel Herrera in right field on Monday.
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Segura’s return could move Maton to center field
Second baseman Jean Segura is beginning a rehab assignment at the team’s alternate training site this week. Infielder Ronald Torreyes is, too.
Segura has been on the IL with a strained right quadriceps, while Torreyes has been out because of COVID-19.
Segura had been one of the Phillies’ hottest hitters before he got hurt. Second baseman Nick Maton has hit well in his place. The Phillies’ lack of production in center field might afford them an opportunity to put both in the lineup. Phillies center fielders are hitting a combined .098 with a .349 OPS. Maton is batting .348 with an .844 OPS in 49 plate appearances.
Maybe he could play center.
“That’s something that has been talked about a little bit,” Girardi said. “We’ve had him take fly balls to increase his availability to us. I’m not sure yet.”
Girardi declined to say if Maton could go to the alternate site for a week or two to see if he could handle it. Is there any other way to see if he can play center?
“You could put him out there,” Girardi said. “That’s one way of finding out, right?”
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Alvarado’s suspension reduced to two games
Left-hander José Alvarado and Major League Baseball agreed to reduce his suspension to two games, which he began serving Monday. The league originally suspended Alvarado three games for instigating a bench- and bullpen-clearing incident Friday night against the Mets.
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Extra bases
• Left fielder Andrew McCutchen said Saturday that he has had trouble picking up three line drives in the outfield this season, which left the Phillies wondering about his vision. McCutchen had an eye exam during Spring Training, but Girardi said he planned to circle back again and see if there is an issue or not. McCutchen entered Monday last among 32 qualified left fielders at -4 Outs Above Average, according to Statcast.
• The Phillies optioned infielder Scott Kingery to Triple-A. They recalled left-hander Cristopher Sánchez from Triple-A.
• Right-hander Archie Bradley missed three or four days last week because of an illness, which set back Bradley’s return from a strained left oblique. The Phillies hope he can throw off a mound at some point this week. Bradley might not need to throw too many times off a mound before he is activated from the IL.
“It’s more on how comfortable he is,” Girardi said. “Are two bullpens and one outing enough? Is one bullpen and two outings enough? It really comes down to how he feels throwing a baseball. The good thing is you don’t have to build him up a lot.”