It's not coming tomorrow or next week, but momentum toward an early Bryce Harper return is already building.
Harper and Phillies manager Rob Thomson joined the ESPN broadcast of Sunday Night Baseball and spoke about the two-time MVP's recovery from Tommy John surgery.
Thomson said Harper is "doing really well right now" and that he'll probably hit on the field at Citizens Bank Park when the Phillies are back Thursday for the home opener. From there, the next steps would be live batting practice, then eventually minor-league rehab games.
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Though the recovery is going well, Harper and the Phillies are being careful to ensure he doesn't skip any steps.
"Doing good, just happy to be here and be around the guys, just trying to get my rehab going as best as possible," Harper said. "I think we're just trying to take it each day, make sure I hit every checkpoint. Just excited and grateful for the progress."
Harper said he began going through his routine in the batting cage about a week and a half ago. The Phillies provided a cautious timetable of the All-Star break for his return from a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right arm. He played through the injury for nearly the entirety of the 2022 regular season as the Phillies' designated hitter and will be the DH when he returns this season. Playing right field is the final step and might be more of a 2024 thing. The Phillies just want his bat back in the lineup.
"Still got a minute to go," Harper said. "Just trying to be smart about it, understanding my good days are going to be good and some days I'll just be sore and it'll be a little tougher. But I feel good right now, just got to keep that going and keep doing the same stuff."