Phillies star first baseman Bryce Harper could return to the Philadelphia lineup as soon as this upcoming week after missing time because of inflammation in his right wrist. Harper, who has started to face live pitching, has not appeared in a game since June 5 but told reporters that he feels much better than he expected.
Manager Rob Thomson said Sunday that a Monday activation was “not necessarily” out of the realm of possibility, but that it hinged on how Harper felt on Monday after using Sunday for rest and recovery purposes.
“If you had told me three weeks ago [I’d be] where I am now, I would have said you’re kind of crazy,” Harper said on Friday. “So I’m very happy with where I am. I’m way farther ahead than I felt like I would be. Definitely way healthier than I was a couple weeks ago.”
“I think next week is definitely in play,” Harper added. “But I don’t want to solidify which day or anything like that. But I’m happy with where I’m at.”
The Phillies’ upcoming schedule will see them close out their weekend series against the Atlanta Braves on Sunday before returning home on Monday to begin a week-long homestand against the San Diego Padres and Cincinnati Reds. (It should be noted that the Phillies have Thursday off in between those three-game sets.)
Prior to being placed on the IL, the 32-year-old Harper hit .258/.368/.446 (123 OPS+) with nine home runs and 34 runs batted in over the course of his first 57 games this season. His contributions had been worth an estimated 1.4 Wins Above Replacement, according to the estimates housed at Baseball Reference.
With Harper sidelined, the Phillies have by and large turned first base over to rookie Otto Kemp. Thus far, Kemp has hit .246/.329/.338 (85 OPS+) with a home run and a stolen base in 19 games.
The Phillies enter Sunday in first place in the National League East with a 48-35 record on the year. Philadelphia has suffered through a losing June (12-13) to date, but has nevertheless gained ground because of the New York Mets’ recent struggles.
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