Phillies' Bryce Harper: Absent from lineup Tuesday
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Harper is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Mets.
This is a planned day of physical and mental rest for Harper, who went hitless (but drew three walks) over the final three games of the Phillies' four-game weekend series at Atlanta. Kyle Schwarber will take a turn out of the DH spot Tuesday in Queens and Dalton Guthrie will cover left field.
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Phillies' Bryce Harper: Won't play field until after break
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Phillies manager Rob Thomson told reporters prior to Friday's game against Atlanta that Harper (elbow) is unlikely to play first base until after the All-Star break, Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.
Harper has increased his throwing distance to 120 feet, but the Phillies remain cautious with the left-handed slugger after his early return from Tommy John surgery. Since coming off the injured list Harper has slashed an impressive .347/.437/.547 with three homers and two stolen bases, but he won't gain new position eligibility until the end of July at the earliest.
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Phillies' Bryce Harper: Notches three hits, including homer
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Harper went 3-for-4 with a solo home run and an additional run in Thursday's loss to Atlanta.
Harper smashed a big 445-foot solo blast in the fifth inning to tie the score 4-4. It snapped a 10-game skid without a long ball for the slugger and marked just his second RBI over his past 11 contests. Despite the recent lack of production, Harper has put up an excellent .347/.437/.547 slash line on the campaign.
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Phillies' Bryce Harper: Not ready for first base action
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Phillies manager Rob Thomson said Friday that it will be at least another month before Harper (elbow) plays first base, Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.
Harper continues to throw on the side and will soon increase the distance of those workouts to 90 feet, but the Phillies won't rush the 30-year-old slugger into any kind of defensive duty after he returned far earlier than anticipated from Tommy John surgery. He's slashed .314/.386/.490 with two home runs through 13 games out of the DH spot since being activated May 2.
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Phillies' Bryce Harper: Swiped second bag
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Harper went 1-for-4 with one run scored and one steal in Wednesday's loss to San Francisco.
Harper and Nick Castellanos pulled off a double steal in the fourth inning. Harper stole a career-high 21 bases back in 2016. Despite the late start to 2023, Harper could push for 20 steals again, as he already has two in 13 games.
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Phillies' Bryce Harper: Ejected Sunday
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Harper was ejected from Sunday's game against the Rockies, Alex Coffey of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
Colorado reliever Jake Bird appeared to chirp toward the Philadelphia dugout after recording the final out of the seventh inning, and Harper was the first player onto the field as benches cleared, resulting in the ejections of both players. The veteran slugger went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts prior to the ejection.
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Phillies' Bryce Harper: Stays hot Saturday
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Harper went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run, a double, a walk and two total runs scored in Saturday's 7-4 win over the Rockies.
Harper's strung together a trio of multi-hit efforts, and this was his second game in a row with multiple RBI. The 30-year-old is batting .361 with a 1.050 OPS, two homers, five RBI, 11 runs scored, a stolen base and three doubles across 41 plate appearances.
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Phillies' Bryce Harper: Delivers go-ahead hit
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Harper went 2-for-4 with a two-run double, a stolen base and a run scored in Friday's 6-3 win over the Rockies.
Harper put the Phillies on his back in the eighth inning. He knocked a two-run double to give them a lead, then stole third and scored when Elias Diaz's throw was errant. With four multi-hit efforts through eight games, there's little to reason to doubt Harper's bat since he returned from Tommy John surgery. The 30-year-old is slashing .344/.417/.500 with a home run, three RBI, nine runs scored and two doubles through 36 plate appearances, and the steal was his first of the season.
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Phillies' Bryce Harper: Slugs first homer of season
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Harper went 2-for-5 with a solo home run in Saturday's loss to the Red Sox.
Harper connected on his first long ball of the campaign in the fifth inning, swatting a 396-foot solo shot to left-center field. It hasn't taken long for the star slugger to get his feet under him after opening the season on the injured list following Tommy John surgery last November. Through four games since his return, Harper is slashing .375/.444/.525 with three runs, two walks and two extra-base hits.
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Phillies' Bryce Harper: Three hits in second game back
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Harper went 3-for-3 with a double and two runs scored in Wednesday's 10-6 loss against the Dodgers.
After going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts Tuesday in his first game back from Tommy John surgery, Harper seemed back to his old self Wednesday, reaching base safely five times with three hits, including a double, and two walks. Harper figures to see regular time at DH before eventually transitioning to first base. He slashed .286/.364/.514 with 18 home runs in 99 games last season with the Phillies.
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Phillies' Bryce Harper: Three strikeouts in loss
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Harper (elbow) went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in his season debut Tuesday in a 13-1 loss to the Dodgers.
While Harper made an incredibly fast recovery from Tommy John surgery, a season debut like this one shows it's best to temper expectations with the 30-year-old for now. Harper will be limited to designated hitter initially, and he's expected to play at first base once he's cleared to throw with his surgically repaired right elbow. Fantasy managers will want to have him active quickly -- this is a player who slashed .286/.364/.514 with 18 home runs, 65 RBI, 63 runs scored, 11 stolen bases and 28 doubles over 99 games in an injury-plagued 2022 campaign.
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Phillies' Bryce Harper: Activated for season debut
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Harper was activated Tuesday from the 10-day injured list.
As anticipated, Harper will make his 2023 debut as the Phillies' designated hitter Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, less than six months after undergoing Tommy John surgery on his right (throwing) elbow. It's an incredibly swift return from that procedure and Harper might need regular days off out of the gate, but his return is worth celebrating and arrives as excellent news for fantasy managers who got him at a value this spring. The 30-year-old slugger has delivered a .940 OPS across his first four seasons with Philadelphia while averaging 36 home runs, 105 RBI, 17 stolen bases and 108 runs scored for every 162 games played.
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Phillies' Bryce Harper: Confirmed to return Tuesday
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Phillies manager Rob Thomson confirmed that Harper (elbow) will be activated from the 10-day injured list ahead of Tuesday's game against the Dodgers, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.
Thomson said that he wanted to give Harper off for Monday's series opener in Los Angeles because of a hectic schedule that included a doctor's appointment, but the two-time National League MVP will be ready to make his season debut 160 days after undergoing Tommy John surgery on his right elbow. The Phillies could give Harper a day off or two in his first couple weeks back in action since he didn't go on a minor-league rehab assignment and is returning from surgery sooner than anticipated, but he should otherwise be a mainstay in the lineup at designated hitter beginning with Tuesday's contest. Harper began working out at first base a few weeks ago and could eventually be an option at that position, but playing the outfield is most likely off the table for him in 2023.
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Phillies' Bryce Harper: Cleared to return Tuesday
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Harper (elbow) has been medically cleared and is expected to be activated from the 10-day injured list Tuesday, when he'll likely serve as the Phillies' designated hitter against the Dodgers, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
Harper visited with Dr. Neal ElAttrache -- the physician who performed his Tommy John surgery Nov. 23 -- on Monday and was officially given the green light to return to game action in a non-defensive role. Even for a position player, Harper's recovery from Tommy John surgery has been remarkably quick, as he had initially been projected to be out until around the All-Star break. Harper has been working out at first base in the event the Phillies want to ease him into the field at that position, though it'll probably be a while before he's anything other than a DH. While Harper's bat could be a little rusty following a long layoff and no rehab assignment, fantasy managers and the Phillies will certainly welcome the slugger back into their lineups.
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Phillies' Bryce Harper: Could return Tuesday
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Harper (elbow) will see a doctor Monday and expects to return to the Phillies' lineup Tuesday against the Dodgers if he's cleared, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.
Harper underwent Tommy John surgery last November and was initially targeting a return around the All-Star break, but if he's cleared to suit up Tuesday, he'd beat that projection by over two months. The 30-year-old would serve exclusively as a designated hitter upon his return, but his clearance would provide a significant boost to the Phillies' lineup. He hit .286 with 18 home runs, 65 RBI, 63 runs and 11 stolen bases over 99 games last year.
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Phillies' Bryce Harper: Hits on field Friday
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Harper (elbow) hit on the field with his Phillies teammates Friday in Houston, Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.
Harper will do that again Sunday ahead of what will be a crucial follow-up appointment with Dr. Neal ElAttrache early next week in Los Angeles. ElAttrache performed Tommy John surgery on Harper last November, and the current belief is that the 30-year-old slugger might be cleared to return as the Phillies' designated hitter as early as next weekend if all parties involved feel it's a safe idea. The initial expectation at the time of his reconstructive elbow procedure was that Harper would be sidelined until the All-Star break.
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Phillies' Bryce Harper: Throws from 60 feet
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Harper (elbow) made throws from 60 feet Thursday, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
Harper also took batting practice and incorporated the pitch clock for the first time. One of his BP homers nearly hit the screen displaying the count well beyond the center field fence at Citizens Bank Park. There's still no exact timetable, but Harper continues to push toward a swift return from Tommy John surgery. Word from Phillies manager Rob Thomson is that the 30-year-old slugger will be allowed to skip a minor-league rehab assignment and jump right back in as the team's everyday DH whenever doctors clear him for live action. He's been getting reps at first base in recent workouts, though that doesn't necessarily mean he'll be immediately be seeing game reps at the position.
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Phillies' Bryce Harper: To take live BP on Tuesday
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Harper (elbow) is scheduled to take live batting practice against Ranger Suarez (forearm) on Tuesday, Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.
It will be the first time Harper faces a left-hander in his ongoing recovery from Tommy John surgery. He took at-bats against right-hander Nick Nelson (hamstring) over the weekend. Harper still has a lot of hurdles to clear and there is no exact timetable for a return, but recent reports suggest that he might be allowed to skip a minor-league rehab assignment and jump back onto the Phillies' active roster before June.
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Phillies' Bryce Harper: Could skip rehab assignment
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Phillies manager Rob Thomson told reporters Saturday that Harper (elbow) may not take part in a rehab assignment in the minor leagues, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
Harper echoed those sentiments in a conversation with Lauber, noting that he believes he can get his timing down without necessarily reporting to the minors. The two-time MVP is working back from Tommy John surgery, and it's been recently reported that he'll work at first base in an attempt to get on the field quickly, though his first games this season will almost definitely be as the designated hitter. Whether Harper goes on a rehab assignment or not, it seems likely that the 30-year-old star will be back with the Phillies and helping fantasy teams in the summer months as long as there are not setbacks.
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Phillies' Bryce Harper: Learning first base
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Harper (elbow) will learn first base in an attempt to return to the field sooner, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.
With Rhys Hoskins (knee) out for the season and Darick Hall (thumb) slated to miss at least two months, Harper at first base makes some sense as it would go a long way in solving the Phillies' depth issues at first. However, Harper's new position doesn't affect his timetable for returning to Philadelphia's lineup, as he will be cleared to serve as Philly's designated hitter before getting cleared to throw and play in the outfield.
