Bryce Harper deserved it, broken left thumb and all.

Major League Baseball announced Friday night that Harper beat the Braves’ William Contreras in a fan vote to be the National League’s starting designated hitter at the All-Star Game on July 19 at Dodger Stadium. Harper will not play because of the thumb fracture from June 25 in San Diego, which required surgery on June 29. But fans at least recognized that Harper had numbers worthy of inclusion.

• All-Star starters are set. Who made the cut?

Harper is the first Phillies player to be elected a starter since Chase Utley in 2014.

Harper is not with the team in St. Louis to play the Cardinals this weekend, but he answered a few questions via text.

“It is an incredible honor to be voted in by the fans, especially for my first one as a Phillie,” Harper said. “I’m really upset I won’t be able to wear Phillies pinstripes in L.A. because of what happened, but I look forward to doing it again here soon in the future. I love this organization and fan base and wish I could do it for them.”

Harper was having one of the best seasons of his career before the broken thumb, even while playing since mid-April with a torn UCL in his right arm. He batted .318 with 15 home runs, 48 RBIs and a .984 OPS. He ranked fifth in the NL in batting average, sixth in on-base percentage (.385) and second in slugging percentage (.599) before the injury.

Harper said because of the rehab for the hand and elbow, he will not attend the All-Star festivities in Los Angeles to “focus on working out, getting back, and enjoying the down time with my family.”

This is Harper’s seventh All-Star selection, and his sixth time elected as a starter (2013, 2015-18).

Remarkably, this is Harper’s first All-Star appearance as a member of the Phillies. He started slowly in his debut season of 2019 before catching fire in the second half. There was no All-Star Game in 2020 because of the pandemic. Harper did not make the 2021 team as a reserve, but he later won the NL MVP Award.

The complete All-Star rosters will be announced during the 2022 Chevrolet MLB All-Star Selection Show on Sunday at 5:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.

“We have several guys that are deserving between [Zack Wheeler], [Aaron] Nola, Seranthony [Domínguez], [Kyle Schwarber] and Rhys [Hoskins],” Harper said.