Bryce Harper is still expected to start in tonight’s South Atlantic League All-Star Game, but the fans at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium in Salisbury, Maryland aren’t going to get the show they were hoping for.
Harper is currently nursing a sore left thumb that he jammed back on June 12. He missed four games with the injury, including two prior to the All-Star break and was scratched from tonight’s Home Run Derby.
Hagerstown Suns manager Brian Daubach, who is also managing the North team in tonight’s game, told Dave Sheinin of the Washington Post that Harper will only be limited to a few innings and possibly one at-bat.
Meanwhile, Harper says he should be good to go for the second half of the season, which at this rate will likely include a promotion to Double-A Harrisburg.
Harper has made a mockery of the Sally League thus far, batting .330/.429/.586 with 14 homers, 13 stolen bases and a 1.014 OPS in his first pro season.