The Philadelphia Phillies have been scuffling to put runs on the board over the last week — save for Friday night’s 13-run outburst against the Atlanta Braves — as they await Bryce Harper’s return. But will they have to wait a little longer?
Harper took live batting practice Saturday but reported stiffness in his injured right wrist on Sunday. He’s been on the injured list since June 6 with right wrist inflammation, missing the last 21 games. The Phillies have gone 13-8 during that span.
Despite the soreness, manager Rob Thomson said Harper could still return Monday against the San Diego Padres.
“No, not necessarily,” Thomson told The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Scott Lauber when asked if Harper’s return Monday was out of the question.
Bryce Harper update: He’s getting a recovery day after facing two #Phillies minor league pitchers on the field here yesterday. Is it out of the realm of possibility that he returns to the lineup Monday? “Not necessarily,” Rob Thomson said. Certainly sounds like this week.
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Speaking to reporters Friday, Harper said it’s “definitely in play” he could return this week.
“I don’t want to solidify which day or anything like that, but I feel good,” Harper said. “I’m happy.”
Harper dealt with the same wrist issue last season but played through it. The problem subsided during the offseason, but this time he said he couldn’t function on a baseball field when the inflammation returned.
Harper won’t need surgery, though doctors don’t know what’s causing the discomfort.
“We’ve done a really good job of coming up with a plan in the training room of certain things that I can get better at to hopefully take the pain off of that area,” the two-time National League MVP said.
Before going on the injured list, Harper had an .814 OPS, 123 OPS+, nine home runs, 13 doubles, 32 runs scored, 34 RBI, and a 1.4 bWAR in 57 games.
