A Bryce Harper injury update, a trade between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Seattle Mariners, and a strange promotional schedule for the Los Angeles Angels involving Shohei Ohtani make up three MLB-related news stories you may have missed from Wednesday.
3 MLB news stories people might have missed
1. Bryce Harper to undergo surgery
Philadelphia Phillies outfielder/designated hitter Bryce Harper will undergo surgery next week and the timeline for his return in 2023 is unclear.
Bryce Harper will have UCL surgery next Wednesday. Not sure if it will be Tommy John surgery or not, so timetable to return in 2023 is unknown.
— Todd Zolecki (@ToddZolecki) November 16, 2022
However, as Zolecki points out in a separate tweet, even if the surgery involves Tommy John, it doesn’t mean that Harper will be lost to the Phillies for 2023. As a point of reference, Ohtani had Tommy John surgery on October 1, 2018, but returned to DH for the Angels on May 7, 2019.
Harper played in just 99 games last season, playing through a torn UCL that was diagnosed in May. The injury limited him to serving as Philadelphia’s designated hitter, but he was still a weapon for the Phillies on their World Series run, slashing .295/.381/.510 after learning of the torn UCL.
2. Seattle and Toronto make a trade
On Wednesday, the Mariners sent reliever Erik Swanson and left-handed pitching prospect Adam Macko to Toronto for All-Star outfielder Teoscar Hernandez. The move was meant to strengthen Seattle’s lineup, according to Mariners officials.
Comments from Jerry Dipoto and Justin Hollander on the trade pic.twitter.com/uoN3N4XH2T
— Ryan Divish (@RyanDivish) November 16, 2022
The 30-year-old Hernandez slashed .267/.316/.491 with 25 home runs and 77 RBI in 2022, and will slot in as Seattle’s right fielder.
With the trade, Seattle added a bat behind AL Rookie of the Year Julio Rodriguez while Toronto thinned out its outfield a little more after the DFA of Raimel Tapia on Tuesday. Could Brandon Nimmo be added in Toronto this offseason?
3. Angels make odd promotional schedule decision
With the future of Ohtani with the Angels up in the air and rumors already being kicked around that the franchise could trade him some time this season (his contract ends at the conclusion of the 2023 season), the release of the 2023 promotional schedule and Ohtani’s appearances on it is drawing questions.
For what it's worth, the Angels' promotional schedule does not include any Shohei Ohtani giveaways beyond the trade deadline.https://t.co/SPYwAjF8F3
— Bill Shaikin (@BillShaikin) November 16, 2022
By the way, an Ohtani-themed item is on the schedule five times before the trade deadline. Could it be a sign of things to come in Anaheim?