PHILADELPHIA -- Bryce Harper is taking his right elbow injury "super day by day."
Harper was out of the Phillies' lineup for a third straight game for Friday night's 6-2 series-opening loss to the Brewers at Citizens Bank Park. He exited Tuesday's win over the Braves after being hit on the elbow by a 95 mph fastball from Spencer Strider, then -- after Wednesday's game was rained out -- missed both games of Thursday's doubleheader.
"Still super sore," Harper said before Friday's game. "Obviously, [I'm] getting treatment and things like that. I'm not sure when I'm going to play again."
Is a stint on the injured list possible?
"I hope not," Harper said. "At this point, it's going to be three games today -- so again, we're super day by day, but I don't think so."
Added manager Rob Thomson: "I don't think so, but we'll just have to see."
Without Harper, the Phillies managed only four hits in the opener vs. Milwaukee. Kyle Schwarber went 2-for-4, while the rest of the team went 2-for-27.
“[Harper] is a two-time MVP,” said outfielder Nick Castellanos, who hit his first homer since May 6 in Friday’s loss. “So just having his name in the lineup -- regardless if he does well or not -- is going to help everybody else in the lineup.”
Given the initial feeling when he was hit, Harper was relieved to learn the X-rays were negative. Still, he acknowledged the effects from this hit-by-pitch have lingered a bit longer than some previous ones.
"This one felt a little bit different this time," Harper said. "When I get hit, I don't usually feel it the next day or anything like that, but it got me in a pretty good spot. It's just been kind of tough getting the swelling out."
To that end, Harper has not tried swinging a bat since the injury. He did not plan to do so on Friday. He took some grounders at first base while wearing a compression sleeve on his right arm, though he didn't attempt any throws.
Both Harper and Thomson said they're unsure of when Harper might pick up a bat to test it out.
"Got to get the swelling out," Thomson said, "and get it pain-free, or close to it anyway."
One thing that appears certain about Harper's return is he will be wearing an elbow guard whenever he does rejoin the lineup.
Thomson had said on Thursday that he hoped Harper would wear some sort of protection on his elbow moving forward, and the two-time MVP indicated on Friday that will likely be his plan.
"Yeah, probably," he said.
Harper typically has not worn any type of elbow guard throughout his career. The one exception was in 2023, when he wore a bulky brace on his arm upon his return from Tommy John surgery. He eventually switched to a smaller one, which is likely similar to what he'll wear now.
"There's times where I'm OK with it and there are other times where it feels kind of weird," Harper said of elbow guards. "We found a brace that I wore during the Tommy John [recovery], so I'll probably wear that again and then a brace on top of that. Just kind of feel it out.
"It's really hard to find braces that kind of feel good, that don't feel as bulky or anything like that. I haven't really worn them my whole career. I have here and there just to feel it."
Harper did wear an elbow guard in Spring Training, but that was just as a precaution to stay healthy for the regular season.
"I didn't like the way it felt," he said. "Obviously, I've just got to figure it out."
Harper plans to prioritize protecting himself because he knows opposing pitchers like to attack him up and in.
In some ways, Harper has been fortunate. He's been plunked 26 times since joining the Phillies in 2019. To put that in perspective, 124 players across the Majors have been hit more times during that span -- and three players have been hit more than 100 times.
But it's not that Harper gets hit a lot -- it's where he gets hit.
He was hit in a similar area on his elbow by a 92 mph fastball on Feb. 27. He was hit on the left elbow last Sept. 4. He was struck in the face by a 97 mph fastball on April 28, 2021. He sustained a fractured left thumb when he was hit by a 97 mph fastball on June 25, 2022.
"I think that's where teams kind of go against me," Harper said. "It's a bummer, just because guys throw so hard now, but I mean, that's where guys go. Sinkers in, heaters up and in."
While Harper may be willing to adapt to that reality by wearing an elbow guard, he's not about to revamp his entire approach at the plate.
"I'm not going to back off the plate," Harper said. "I've always kind of been on top of the plate. Like I said, I totally understand throwing inside -- it's part of the game, I get it -- it's just a little scarier nowadays, just because guys throw a bit harder."