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.”
An update on Harper’s rehab
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.
