"The Braves won the World Series last year without Acuna" - Philadelphia Phillies prepare for season after fractured thumb puts Bryce Harper out of action indefinitely 

Another Bryce Harper injury means another lengthy spell on the sidelines for the Philadelphia Phillies All-Star. For the Phillies organization, anger has turned to frustration, and that frustration has now moved on to acceptance.

The Phillies will have to learn to live without the services of Bryce Harper after their star was hit by a 97-mph fastball on his left thumb on Saturday.

"We still have a lot of good hitters in the lineup," said Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski. "The Braves won the World Series last year without Acuna."

"Dombrowski says that it's too early to say whether or not Harper's injury will require surgery. He says Harper is definitely going on the injured list, and could potentially stay behind in CA for a while to see a doctor who specializes in these types of thumb injuries." - Alex Coffey via Twitter

Dombrowski's statement made a lot of sense. It's not all doom and gloom for the Phillies. He is right about two things.

Firstly, there is a plethora of talent in this Phillies offense. Nick Castellanos, J.T. Realmuto, Kyle Schwarber, and Odubel Herrera have all been All-Stars in previous seasons. First baseman Rhys Hoskins has impressed and is currently third on the team in runs (38), home runs (13) and RBIs (37). Alec Bohm and Didi Gregorious are both batting above .255 and have combined for 38 RBIs.

"This is awful. Bryce Harper has a fractured left thumb" - John Clark

Second, the Atlanta Braves did win the World Series last year without Ronald Acuna Jr. Acuna was the best player in that Braves lineup. He was having an All-Star year before a torn ACL ruled him out for the rest of the season. He was batting .283/.394/.596 with 24 home runs and led the league in runs. Baseball, however, is a team game. Thus, even without Bryce Harper, this lineup is potent and can compete.

The Phillies have to adjust and plan for a season without Bryce Harper

Bryce Harper is looked at after being hit with a pitch during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres

That's not to say that Bryce Harper won't be missed. In 64 games this season, Harper is batting .318/.385/.599 with 15 home runs and 48 RBIs. He is fourth in batting average (.318) and second in slugging (.599) in the National League. "You never replace a guy like that," added Dombrowski.

"Obviously, having Bryce Harper on the IL with a fractured thumb is a huge loss for the Phillies. If you're a Phils fan looking for a tiniest sliver of a silver lining, though? At least now either Castellanos or Schwarber can be the DH instead of trying to play defense every day." - Ryan Fagan via Twitter

In comparison, Mickey Monaik, who the Philles have called up to replace Harper, has a lifetime .139 batting average and .424 OPS in the majors. He only has one home run and four RBIs in 72 total at-bats.

Harper has been placed on the 10-day injured list, but it's almost certain he will miss a significant portion of the season, if not all of it. The Philles are considering trade options but might not require too much. They are only eight games behind the New York Mets and five games behind the Braves. If stars like Castellanos, Schwarber and Realmuto can step up, this team can make a late run.