Reigning NL MVP Bryce Harper will return to the Phillies’ active roster prior to their game with the Pirates on Friday, Philadelphia manager Rob Thomson told reporters (including MLB.com’s Todd Zelecki). The initial plan for Harper’s minor league rehab assignment planned for activation from the 60-day injured list on Monday, but Harper will instead return a bit earlier, as suggested by MLB Network’s Jon Morosi earlier today.
The Phillies first placed Harper on the 10-day IL due to his fractured left thumb back on June 26, so he’ll end up missing only slightly beyond the 60-day minimum. Harper has been making steady progress with his recovery ever since undergoing thumb surgery, and he will now again get to contribute to a Phillies team that has become one of baseball’s hottest teams.
The firing of Joe Girardi and Thomson’s installation as interim manager was the obvious turning point in Philadelphia’s season, as the Phils went 22-29 under Girardi and are currently 47-26 under Thomson. Not even losing one of the sport’s best hitters slowed down the Phillies, since they have a 31-20 record since Harper was sidelined.
Harper’s thumb was broken by a Blake Snell pitch on June 25, interrupting an unusual but still highly successful season for the 29-year-old. Due to a small UCL tear in his right elbow, Harper hasn’t played a game in the field since April 16, but his bat hasn’t been impacted by his new role as a full-time DH. Harper has 21 home runs and a .318/.385/.599 slash line over his first 275 plate appearances, with that .985 OPS standing as the fourth-highest of Harper’s career.
2022 will go down as another Harper season cut short by injury, but that will be a footnote if he is able to help the Phillies reach their first postseason since 2011. Philadelphia holds the second NL wild card slot, well back of the Braves for the first wild card but with a 3.5-game cushion over the Brewers (the top team outside the playoff picture).
It’s go time.
Great news.
As VonPurpleHayes wrote: “”The Phillies are a different team when Harper plays.” Anyone that watches them knows that’s true.
It’s a playoff league. Get to the playoffs and we’ll see. Their pitching isn’t chopped liver.
@Samuel, indeed a playoff league. And what a division this year … and in recent history.
The Braves, Mets and Phillies all in NL team era top 5. And throw out the 2020 short season, the last 2 WS champions hail from the NL East. Be pretty cool if Philly or the Mets could make it 3 full season WS champions in a row. Then one or the other follows suit in 2023.
As Harper slots back into the 3 hole, almost everyone slots down a spot.. It does make the line-up even stronger. and longer.
Weakest spot in the offensive line-up is CF, but that spot offers stellar D, so the trade-off works….Let the Philly haters, like termites, come out of the wood….
Oops, spoke too soon! Wheeler… can’t catch a break.
Gain one, lose one.
Welcome back, Bruce Hooper!
Awesome!
He’s back. Hopefully the momentum from the LV games carry over to the bigs
Championship
Hope he hits ten homers vs the Braves in September.
Phillies play the Braves pretty well (and vice versa). Hopefully we get some good games, unlike the Mets series…no fault of the Mets.
braves win this division Phillies are behind Mets in third place we will take two of three from St Louis watch
I wouldn’t be shocked. Mets are great. Braves are great. Phillies are good.
After the Dodgers this weekend the Mets play a really easy schedule until they see the Braves again. The Braves have some tough series. Odds are still high the Mets win the division.
and they still lose just like your mets are going to lose two to Colorado, and then get swept by the dodgers which the braves will be in first place by then and you mets will be lucky if you finish third
@bravesall-r-he way
Clown – you can’t even spell your own username correctly? Typical of the education system down south I guess…
Yep, and it’s not like your state of residence of California being consistently ranked in the bottom 10 states and even reaching a “record”-low ranking of 48th out of 50 in terms of the quality of education awhile back. It doesn’t really help your chances in the Intelligence Quotient Olympics, Books.
I wasn’t educated in California, but nice try @MarlinsFanBase!
Phillies play three games versus Atlanta then have Toronto for two and then play my braves for four more. don’t have to wait for October Phillies might not make the playoffs
you are leading this board with silly smack talk. I’m a Phillies fan and they will make the playoffs. the only team that even has a chance of knocking them out of the playoffs is Milwaukee and they have a tougher schedule and have not been playing well. I think the Braves are an excellent team but still think the Mets are the team to beat in the East. That is, as long as deGrom and Max stay healthy. The Mets have a fairly easy schedule themselves the rest of the way and they have beat up on teams all year. The Braves are 7-9 against the Mets and 6-6 against the Phillies. Let’s see what happens.
Phillies play three games versus Atlanta then have Toronto for two and then play my braves for four more. don’t have to wait for October Phillies might not make the playoffs and our last three games are against the Mets will be up by 4 to 4 or 5 games by then so don’t I’m not worried about them. whoever is four or five in the playoffs plays the dodgers next round
Wow now the Braves are going undefeated the rest of the year. You realize the Braves have a losing record to the Mets? Are tied against the Phillies. Good job you beat up on the crappy teams.
Feel bad for fans who bought tickets to minor league games who were told he would be there through Saturday. They should get refunds
Glad I got tickets for Sunday. Could see some sellouts this weekend.
This is huge for a playoff push. Scary lineup.
Yea all those .210-220 hitters so scary..
Tell me you know nothing about baseball without telling me you know nothing about baseball.
WOAH great take, we should all follow you on twitter…fathead0507…..
Back in the real world, the Phillies are hitting .253, 5th in the NL. But hey why post anything with solid stats….?
Are the Phillies the Dodgers, Braves or Mets….nope, but hey neither are you a productive poster….
Here’s a stat, they’re tied for 6th in MLB in runs scored and HRs and they’ve been without the reigning MVP the past two months. But hey why post anything with solid stats? BA doesn’t mean anything if you’re not scoring runs.
WOW G R E A T hot take fathead0507……truly amazing…you need to be followed on twitter….by ALL.
…Phillies are they are hitting .253, 5th in the NL….are they the Dodgers or Braves, nope, but hey neither are you a solid contributer
Uh oh, this what happens when I am on my phone and lose reception and post when I get back to my spot……on my comp….Either way, I’ll take the hits…
Your burner account is showing dipweed.
YouCanPu,
You forgot your comma between “showing” and “dipweed”. It appears you’re saying his account is demonstrating dipweed.
I called this, no shot they were going to keep him out til Monday.
You did. I mean he had 2 homers and a walkoff double. I think he’s ready.
I cringed during that walk off mob last night that hoping nobody would bump that thumb. Let’s go!
MLB teams really are clueless as to when to be conservative with milb time when superstars really only will ever need like 1 game there, not a week.
Phillies:
34-29 (.539) when Harper starts
35-26 (.574) without Harper
However, that was before the changes they made
Yea. These stats mean nothing. Phils stunk in the 1st half. Phillies started their surge before Harper went down. They’re much better with him.
They might mean something. There defense is dramatically worse with Harper DH and schwarber in the field.
Actually that’s not true because Schwarber was playing the field for the majority of the time Harper was down. Hall was the main DH. So their fielding essentially remains the same.
According to his game logs Schwarber is listed as DH once the entire season
And it was just the other day because he was coming off the IL.
Great but I was also going to the pigs game tomorrow
Now Wheeler is injured. The Phillies really can’t have nice things.
That’s devastating to the Phillies.
We always seem to have bad news lurking around every corner
Ha.
Dave Dombrowski said he doesn’t think Zack Wheeler’s right forearm tendinitis is serious. He said they want to knock it out now, as opposed to having him pitch through it.
He said he believes Wheeler will miss only two starts and could be back in the rotation Sept. 6.
Don’t want him to do damage against us, but Happy Harper is able to play again this season. Tough luck injury against the Padres. Baseball needs stars like Harper, Acuna, Trout, and so on playing games.