Rob Manfred refuses to give Bryce Harper more time with pitch clock despite injury concerns

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred won’t even allow Bryce Harper to receive extra time on the pitch clock to help protect himself from further injury.

Philadelphia Phillies superstar Bryce Harper made an unreal recovery from offseason Tommy John surgery. Usually, that injury would sideline a player for nearly a year. For Harper, he returned after 159 days, making his season debut this past Tuesday near the end of the team’s road trip against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

On Wednesday, Harper reached base five times, and he put a brace on his right elbow as a way to protect it while running the bases. But, he had to do so within the 30-second mark after a base hit. This is part of the new pace of play rules that MLB is implementing to speed up the game.

In the ninth inning, he was unable to get the brace on and had to run the bases without it. That was even after the fact that Nick Castellanos used a timeout to give Harper more time. Harper slid at home, but with his right arm raised to avoid injuring it.

After the game, Harper revealed that the Phillies tried to get MLB to give him an exception to the pitch clock as a way to ensure he doesn’t hurt his right elbow. However, commissioner Rob Manfred declined their request.

Rob Manfred declines request for Bryce Harper to receive extra time to put on elbow brace

“We talked all the way up to Mr. [Rob] Manfred, and they said we wouldn’t have more time to do that,” Harper said, h/t the Philadelphia Inquirer. “Pace of play thing, of course. It’s going to be tough. I usually have only about, what, 22 seconds to get it on. Sometimes it gets jammed or caught. I hope maybe some umpires have some feel about it. Some umpires usually do. I appreciate that out of them. We’ll see.”

For those curious as to why Harper and the Phillies requested more time to allow him to put the brace on, here’s what it looks like:

Here is what a league official told Matt Gelb of The Athletic (subscription required):

“MLB does not make exceptions to the playing rules for individual players. The league consulted multiple orthopedists and athletic trainers before deciding on the current policy, which is that players are free to wear protective equipment while running the bases, provided they put it on within the proper time frames.”

Manager Rob Thomson said that instance in the ninth inning “scared” him and hoped that the league would “amend the rule to a certain degree for anybody that has an issue.”

This is certainly something that will have the Phillies worried throughout the season. Harper is a pivotal piece to their batting order, as evidenced by his ridiculous play in their run to the World Series last year.

The Phillies want to ensure that Harper will be able to get the protective brace on before running the bases, because injuries can happen. But despite the fact that he is coming off of Tommy John surgery, the league doesn’t believe he should be given an exception.