DUNEDIN, Fla. — Bryce Harper’s spring debut ended unceremoniously on Wednesday after he was hit by a pitch from Toronto Blue Jays lefty Richard Lovelady in the sixth inning.

The first pitch of the at-bat was a 90.5 mph sinker that missed up and in, but Harper was able to get out of the way. He wasn’t so lucky on the seventh pitch, a 92 mph sinker that drilled him on the right arm.

Harper immediately left the game, ultimately a 9-6 win over Toronto, after being replaced by a pinch runner. He declined to speak with the media. Phillies manager Rob Thomson said Harper had a “contusion of the tricep area,” and would not need X-rays. Harper was already not scheduled to play on Thursday.

“We’re not overly concerned at all,” Thomson said.

When Harper left the game, the Phillies were tied at 2 with the Blue Jays, but they went on to score five runs in the sixth. Toronto rallied late, scoring three runs off nonroster invitee Tristan Garnett in the ninth, but Cody Stashak ended the game by recording a strikeout.

Who stood out

Outfield prospect Gabriel Rincones Jr. hit his second home run of the spring, this time an opposite-field shot off two-time All-Star José Berríos.

In his first at-bat of the game, fellow lefty Bryson Stott also went the opposite way off Berríos with a single to left field. Stott finished 2 for 3 with an RBI, and also made an acrobatic catch at second base in the fourth inning, snagging a line drive and saving a run.

Tanner Banks and José Ruiz each threw scoreless frames. Oscar Mercado, Otto Kemp, and Kody Clemens hit doubles.

On the mound

Right-hander Joe Ross gave up some hard contact in his first two innings in a Phillies uniform. The Blue Jays tagged him for two runs on three hits, including a pair of doubles. Toronto put five of Ross’ sinkers in play with an average exit velocity of 98.6 mph.

Ross was happy with the movement he saw on his pitches. He debuted a cutter he’d been working on in the offseason.

Quotable

“He’s in the competition [for an outfield bench spot],” Thomson said about Mercado. “Swung the bat pretty well today, big double. And he really plays good defense, doesn’t matter — left, right, center. So he’s part of the conversation.”

On deck

Zack Wheeler will make his spring debut when the Phillies return to BayCare Ballpark on Thursday to take on the Yankees.

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