CLEARWATER, Fla. — Bryce Harper returned to the Philadelphia Phillies‘ lineup Friday, two days after getting hit on the arm by a pitch.

Harper hit second and went 2-for-3 with a strikeout while playing in his usual spot at first base against the Boston Red Sox in a 7-5 victory.

Harper had a bruise on his right arm after getting hit by a 92 mph pitch from Toronto Blue Jays left-hander Richard Lovelady. Manager Rob Thomson said that Harper had a scheduled day off Thursday and that the team was “not really overconcerned at all.”

Thomson told reporters the team’s initial diagnosis was a bruised right triceps.

The two-time National League MVP had entered play Friday still looking for his first hit of the spring. Harper was 0-for-2 with a walk in his three plate appearances in Grapefruit League play before Friday.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — New York Mets infielder Nick Madrigal could miss the entire 2025 season with a fractured left shoulder.

Manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters Friday that Madrigal needs surgery to repair his non-throwing shoulder, which the player dislocated Sunday when he fell to the ground after throwing a ball to first base against the Washington Nationals.

An MRI on Monday revealed the extent of the injury, with Mendoza saying at the time that Madrigal would likely be out for an extended period. The club immediately placed Madrigal on the 60-day injured list and acquired Alexander Canario from the Chicago Cubs for cash considerations.

Madrigal was looking for a fresh start with the Mets, who signed him to a one-year deal in January after he was non-tendered by the Cubs following a season in which he hit just .221 in 51 games.

The Dominican Republic has chosen former St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Angels star Albert Pujols as its next manager for the 2026 World Baseball Classic and will make the announcement official sometime in March, sources told ESPN.

Pujols, a three-time MLB MVP, managed Leones del Escogido to the Dominican League and Caribbean Series titles this year in his managerial debut.

Nelson Cruz, the Dominican team’s general manager, and a special adviser for MLB baseball operations, plans to make an official announcement before the end of March, sources said.

“We are in the middle of the process, but we will soon reveal who was chosen,” Cruz told Rojas.

Pujols will take over for Rodney Linares, who is the Tampa Bay Rays‘ third base coach.

Pujols, who concluded an illustrious 22-season MLB career in 2022 with 703 home runs, was a member of the Dominican Republic team in the first edition of the World Baseball Classic in 2006. The Dominicans were eliminated by Cuba in the semifinal round.

The Dominican Republic won the WBC in 2013, finishing unbeaten at 8-0, under the management of Tony Peña, who again managed the team in 2017. Manny Acta was the manager in 2006, Felipe Alou in 2009 and Linares in 2023.

Before accepting the role of manager in his country’s winter league, Pujols, 45, had worked in television and served as a special assistant to MLB commissioner Rob Manfred and the Angels’ management.