It was a sight for sore eyes for Philadelphia Phillies fans on Monday night at Citizens Bank Park. Franchise player Bryce Harper suited up in red pinstripes, and manager Rob Thomson slotted the superstar first baseman back into the lineup in his customary three-spot.
The Phillies won 4-0, but Harper went 0-for-4 in his return to the Phillies from nearly a month on the 10-day IL with wrist inflammation. So, it wasn’t the climatic return the Phillies and their fans were hoping for, but just the fact that he’s healthy is good enough to buoy our hopes.
But is Harper fully healthy? Like actually 100%, ready to go, no problems?
Maybe not.
Bryce Harper is back for the Phillies, but his wrist might be an ongoing concern
Harper had been ramping up his activities during the Phillies recent road trip through Houston and Atlanta — a trip that proved beyond doubt that the lineup needs him. Aside from the glorious 13-0 thrashing of the Braves on Friday, the offense scored just four runs in the other five games.
After a scheduled rest day for Harper on Sunday, things felt good enough for the team to activate him, per MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki.
Unfortunately, Harper’s wrist seems like it will be an ongoing thing, with NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Taryn Hatcher relaying that it’s something he’ll have to manage.
Harper says his decision to return is partly because he felt his wrist was “at a standstill” in terms of feeling good. Says it’s something he’ll have to manage. pic.twitter.com/L1AYDDyRKo
https://twitter.com/TarynNBCS/status/1939769142887801229?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1939769142887801229%7Ctwgr%5E3623699932aa5bf2805aa6ae837673e9ce639257%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fthatballsouttahere.com%2Fphillies-not-totally-out-of-woods-bryce-harper-questionable-wrist
“It feels better,” Harper said ahead of Monday’s game, per Zolecki. “It feels way better than where I was three weeks ago, four weeks ago or whatever it was. So, I’m happy with where we are. Ultimately, it’s going to come down to how I feel each day. … It’s kind of been at a standstill the last couple days of feeling good, so hopefully it stays there.”
That’s not exactly a ringing endorsement that the Phillies can just plug Harper back in there and forget about the wrist. It had been bothering him for a while before he landed on the IL, and it’s the same malady that stunted the second half of his 2024 campaign.
When he first went on the IL, nobody seemed to know how long Harper would be out. And even if the team and Harper know exactly what’s wrong, neither have spilled the beans about the exact nature of the problem. Perhaps it’s something that might require surgery, which we’d guess Harper would try to put off until the offseason.
In 58 games this season, Harper is batting .256 with an .812 OPS, nine home runs and 34 RBIs, all below the performance we’re used to seeing and expect from the two-time MVP. The Phillies have to be hoping that Harper and the training staff can manage his wrist for the second half of the season and into the postseason. They need his bat to be a threat at the top of the lineup.
