Bryce Harper on irritation in elbow and wrist

PHILADELPHIA — Bryce Harper said repeatedly Friday that he will not make excuses.

But he is banged up. He reluctantly acknowledged that much before Friday night’s game against the Braves at Citizens Bank Park. Attentive Phillies fans have noticed Harper wearing a protective black sleeve on his right arm since Monday’s game against Houston. They also might have noticed that Harper has not homered in 73 consecutive plate appearances, dating back to Aug. 9.

Is it a sore wrist? A sore elbow?

“All of it,” Harper told MLB.com. “The elbow. The wrist. It’s not anything crazy, but obviously it’s there.”

He said his wrist has bothered him since May. The elbow is more recent. Harper said he doesn’t recall a specific play or moment that irritated the wrist, only that it “just generally got worse. I’ve been grinding through that.” But with the postseason a little more than a month away, he said he is hopeful it will not be an issue in October.

“I don’t want to make excuses for what I do,” Harper said. “You know what I’m saying? I’ve just got to get through it. Hopefully it gets better, rather than getting worse. [The wrist’s] finally getting to the point where I feel like it’s turning a corner. My elbow is just like — there.”

“It’s not the ligament,” he said. “It’s in that area. But it’s not the ligament, so that’s a good thing.”

But it’s safe to say the wrist and elbow have affected Harper’s power. He is batting .345 with four doubles, three RBIs and a .924 OPS in his last eight games, which is encouraging. But he is batting .230 with five home runs, 15 RBIs and a .691 OPS since the All-Star break.

He batted .301 with 21 homers, 61 RBIs and a .982 OPS before the break.

“I don’t want to make excuses for the way I’m playing,” Harper said about lack of power. “I just want to make sure that if I can play, then I’m good. If it continues to go the right way, then yeah, we’re good. On both ends.

“Sometimes you’ve got to play through crap. You know? All good.”