‘We call him our captain:’ Bryce Harper reacts to Rhys Hoskins’ knee injury

CLEARWATER, Fla. — Bryce Harper was sitting in the Phillies dugout when his teammate, Rhys Hoskins, tore his ACL. He was hoping it wasn’t as bad of an injury as it looked, and texted Hoskins after the game, to make sure.

“He called me a couple of hours later and let me know what happened,” Harper said on Saturday. “We told him that we love him. If he needs anything, we’re here for him. Super bummed out.”

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Hoskins was in and out of the Phillies’ clubhouse on Saturday afternoon. Harper expects the Phillies first baseman to be around the team as much as he can. Hoskins will get a second opinion on his left knee soon, but will likely be getting ACL reconstruction surgery that will sideline him for the season.

“He’s one of those guys,” Harper said. “We all call him our captain. We all call him Mr. Philly for a reason. He is the guy. Anytime anybody has a question, we go to him. Anytime the media wants to talk, we go to him. He’s been our leader here for as long as he’s been up here. Since I’ve been here he’s been our guy.

“He’s a great teammate, a great person. He’s one of the best guys I’ve been around.”

» READ MORE: Rhys Hoskins tore his ACL. Here’s what to know about the Phillies first baseman’s injury.

Harper, who underwent Tommy John surgery in November, was on Schmidt Field at the Phillies’ Carpenter Complex on Saturday morning, fielding ground balls with infield coach Bobby Dickerson and first base coach Paco Figueroa. Harper was standing behind first base, causing some to speculate whether or not he’ll be getting time in the infield this season, but his coaches say that isn’t the plan.

“They’re just getting his glove work, his glove presentation, his glove action,” Dickerson said. “It’s been a while since he’s caught grounders and stuff, so he’s trying to work on some techniques so when he does start throwing again he’s a little ahead.”

Harper arrived in Clearwater on March 9 and has been working on outfield drills with Figueroa since then. The two have been working every other day on glove isolation, base running, and ground balls.

The next step for Harper will be to work on his angles in the outfield; drop steps, fielding fly balls and live drives. But for now, Figueroa doesn’t know when that will happen.

“He looks great, he’s excited, he’s back on his feet again,” Figueroa said. “If you’ve ever had injuries, it’s tough, because he’s seeing his teammates getting ready for the season. His presence alone is huge for us. He’s a guy that I tell everybody — I’m fortunate he likes to work. He’s very diligent in his work. He’s getting after it.”

Harper said his work in the outfield — and his throwing program and hitting program — is all determined by the Phillies’ training staff, led by head athletic trainer Paul Buchheit.

“It really just depends on what Paul is thinking,” Harper said. “As much as he’s pushed me along, he’s pulling me back as well. So, just really trying to listen to him and listen to the doctors, Dr. [Neal] ElAttrache, to make sure we’re all on the same page. They know what’s best for me so just trying to follow that as much as possible.”

Phillies left-handed starter Ranger Suárez has not pitched off a mound since March 8, when he felt tenderness in his left forearm while pitching for Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic. He had a scheduled bullpen session on Wednesday that was scratched because of left elbow inflammation, but played catch on Friday and on Saturday.

Suárez said that it went well. He felt a little tightness in his arm, but “nothing bad.” He is unsure when his next bullpen session will be.

Just a few hours after Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski announced that contract negotiations with Aaron Nola had come to a temporary halt, Nola took the mound at BayCare Ballpark for his last Grapefruit League start of spring training. It did not go well. Nola allowed seven runs (five earned runs) through 1 2/3 innings against the Yankees, with one walk, in the Phillies’ eventual 8-3 loss to the Yankees on Saturday. ... Right fielder Nick Castellanos hit a home run off Yankees pitcher (and former Phillie) James Norwood in the bottom of the sixth inning. It was Castellanos’ third home run of the spring. ... Backup catcher Garrett Stubbs, who left the WBC early with a right knee injury, is scheduled to make the trip to Sarasota, Fla. on Sunday to play the Orioles. He says he feels ready for opening day. “I took some backfield at-bats and then got in a game today, behind the plate,” he said. “Everything has been good.” ... Manager Rob Thomson said that the Phillies plan to announce their opening-day lineup on Monday.

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