Phillies' Bryce Harper narrowly avoids serious injury

He immediately exited the game with right fielder Matt Kroon coming on as a pinch runner. With the game tied at 2-2 with no outs, this opened up a five-run Phillies sixth. Philadelphia won, 9-6.

Still, after the game, all attention turned toward their star player. According to The Athletic's Matt Gelb, Harper drove back to Clearwater on his own. He was not scheduled to play on Thursday and reportedly will not travel with the team again during spring training following Wednesday's scare.

Harper will not require X-rays, with manager Rob Thomson calling it a "contusion in the triceps area." He also said the club is "not really over-concerned at all."

"It's early spring training, so guys don't have their command down," Thomson said, per NBC Sports Philadelphia's Corey Seidman. "There were a bunch of guys hit today. I can't speak for the kid, but maybe he was a little nervous, it's Bryce Harper. It's baseball."

In April 2021, Harper was hit on the left forearm and face by a 96.9 mph fastball, which landed him on the injured list. Blake Snell broke Harper's thumb in 2022, requiring surgery and an IL stint. However, crisis seems to have been averted for the Phillies and Harper this time.