Phillies hope Bryce Harper can avoid injured list with sore wrist

The Phillies hope Bryce Harper can avoid being placed on the injured list after his sore wrist kept him out of Monday’s lineup for the fourth time in five games.

Harper aggravated the wrist injury on Sunday night when he returned to the lineup for the first time since being hit in the face by a 97-mph fastball. That pitch ricocheted off Harper’s wrist after hitting his face.

Phillies manager Joe Girardi said he thinks Harper tweaked the injury Sunday when he slipped rounding third base.

Team doctors were scheduled to evaluate Harper before Monday’s game, which will allow the Phillies to decide whether Harper needs to be placed on the 10-day injured list.

“But obviously, we have to wait to see how he feels and what our doctors think,” Girardi said.

Harper missed three games after being hit in the face, but the Phillies were more concerned about his wrist than his face. He didn’t suffer any fractures or a concussion after being hit by Génesis Cabrera, but his wrist was sore. He felt good enough to play on Sunday night.

» READ MORE: Bryce Harper got hit in the face with a 97 mph fastball and can’t believe he’s OK

“It kind of hit me in that perfect spot, right on the bone and little tendon area right there. It’s just a little sore,” Harper said Friday. “... I just really want to be smart about it. I feel good at the plate right now. So I don’t want to be dumb and go out there and just say I want to play just because I want to look tough like I have in the past. You know, what I’m saying? I mean there’s so many times where I’ve done it. I just want to be smart right now.”

Andrew McCutchen was not in Monday night’s starting lineup, a few hours after Girardi said the left fielder may undergo an eye exam to determine why McCutchen is having trouble tracking line drives.

McCutchen said after Saturday’s loss that he has lost three line drives this season — two at home and one on the road. On Sunday, McCutchen was unable to chase down a ball that was hit over his head.

Girardi said before Monday’s game that determining if McCutchen was having an exam was “one of the things that’s on my docket today.”

“I’m not too certain what it is, if it’s just that time of day where I’m not being able to see and decipher the ball from the backdrop right now,” McCutchen said Saturday. “It just seems to be those day games when the sun and the shadows are there. I’m just losing it when I get a break on the ball. I’m getting a good jump on the ball. I know I have a good read. I know I can catch it, but I’m just losing it as I’m trying to catch the ball.”

Archie Bradley’s return was slowed last week, Girardi said, after the reliever missed three or four days with a cold. Bradley was in South Philadelphia on Friday and threw a brief bullpen session and the Phillies hope he can throw an extended session later this week.

Bradley, who joined the Phillies this offseason on a $6 million deal, has been on the injured list since April 11 with an oblique injury in his side. The injury was expected to sideline him for three to four weeks, but that timeline may be hard to meet.

“It’s a setback for us, a setback for him, and we’ll try to proceed forward this week,” Girardi said. “... It really comes down to how he feels throwing the baseball. That’s the hard part. The one thing is you don’t have to build him up a lot. That’s the good thing about this. We just have to get him on the mound.”

José Alvarado and Major League Baseball agreed to a two-game suspension which began Monday night. Alvarado appealed the three-game suspension he received Sunday for inciting a benches-clearing incident Friday against the Mets. ... Jean Segura and Ronald Torreyes are expected to start rehab assignments this week. Girardi said Segura (strained right quadriceps) will need fewer rehab games than Torreyes, who needs to build his stamina after quarantining for 10 days following a positive coronavirus test. ... The Phillies sent Scott Kingery back to Allentown and recalled left-hander Cristopher Sánchez. Kingery had just seven plate appearances since returning to the majors on April 21 and started one game. … Aaron Nola will start Tuesday against Brewers left-hander Eric Lauer.