PITTSBURGH -- Bryce Harper played through lingering pain in his right wrist from May through the end of the season last year.
With the same issue having popped up once again, Harper and the Phillies are taking a different approach in 2025.
The club placed Harper on the 10-day injured list prior to Saturday's game against the Pirates at PNC Park. The move comes after he underwent an MRI on Friday night that revealed right wrist inflammation.
"It's been long enough to where it's gotten to the point where I can't really function on a baseball field or hit a baseball or anything like that," Harper said. "So, it's just a good time for me to take some time and get it right."
Harper missed five games last week with a right elbow contusion after being hit by a Spencer Strider fastball on May 27 -- but Harper said the wrist discomfort predates the elbow injury. He also said it's the same thing that he dealt with for the majority of last season.
Prior to the All-Star break last season, Harper hit .301 with 21 home runs, 61 RBIs and a .982 OPS in 81 games. In the second half, he hit just .266 with nine homers, 26 RBIs and a .793 OPS in 64 games.
Harper acknowledged in late August that he'd been playing through pain for much of the year, though he stopped short of blaming that for the dip in his power numbers.
As for this year, Harper said it had gotten to the point where he was feeling pain on every swing.
"It's tough. Obviously, I want to be out there. It's frustrating," Harper said. "I never want to not be playing, so it's definitely frustrating for me. But it just wasn't good for me to keep going out there.
"... It was definitely a hard decision for me. I've played through pain in my career. I did it last year, I did it for most of this year. But I just don't want to do it anymore."
The big question becomes how long will it take for that pain to go away.
Harper said his wrist was pain-free from December until earlier this season. Given that the Phillies played their final game on Oct. 9, that means it took approximately two months for the pain to completely subside.
The Phillies are confident it won't take that long during the season since Harper will be getting more consistent work with the medical staff.
"I would think that it's going to take less time since he's here and can get treatment," manager Rob Thomson said. "So I'm hoping that it's real quick."
Of course, it should be noted that Harper just rested for six days from May 28-June 2 after being hit on the elbow. Not only were those six days not enough to alleviate the pain, but it instead progressed to the point that he could no longer play through it after just three games back in the lineup.
Does that concern Thomson that it could be a lengthier absence?
"Not really, because I don't really know much about it," Thomson said. "So I can't comment much about that."
And that's really what it boils down to for now -- this will just be a waiting game.
Harper will continue to get daily treatment, but his status will depend entirely on how long it takes for the pain to go away. Asked if they had considered any alternate forms of treatment beyond just rest, or if surgery could potentially be necessary at some point, Harper said he's confident it will again clear up on its own.
He's just not sure how long that will take.
"Just got to get through the treatment phase and see what I can do," Harper said. "But we've got to get it to calm down and [I'll] get out there when I can."