The Philadelphia Phillies were dealt a brutal injury blow when Bryce Harper was hit by a pitch from Blake Snell and suffered a broken thumb. After undergoing tests on the injury, the Phillies have announced plans for Harper to undergo surgery, and revealed a prospective timetable for his return to action. According to Scott Lauber of The Philly Inquirer, Harper will undergo surgery to repair his thumb and is hoping to play again this season, potentially as early as mid-August.

Harper is looking at roughly a six-week timetable to return from this thumb surgery, so the Phillies are hopeful he'll be back with the team by mid-to-late August. The exact date of his surgery has yet to be revealed, but considering the team is hoping to have him back in less than two months, he's likely to undergo the procedure within the coming days.

The left-handed slugger was hit by a pitch by San Diego Padres hurler Blake Snell on Saturday. Harper went down in pain and was gripping his thumb before being removed from the game.

After a rough start to the season, the Phillies managed to turn things around after firing manager Joe Girardi. At the time of his firing, the Phillies had a 22-29 record. They've since gone 17-6, dominating of late and improving to 39-35 on the year.

In addition to his thumb injury, Harper had also been battling an elbow ailment that had prevented him from playing the outfield. He'd been serving primarily as the Phillies DH for the better part of the season. Prior to the injury, Harper was slashing .318/.385/.599 with 15 home runs, 48 RBI, and 9 stolen bases.