Aug. 22: Harper will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A tomorrow, tweets Matt Gelb of The Athletic. Harper will play everyday from Tuesday to Saturday, take Sunday off and potentially join the big league club on Monday.
Aug. 21: As the Phillies continue to vie for a wild card berth, their biggest possible reinforcement is taking a step closer to a return, as Bryce Harper is slated to begin a Triple-A rehab assignment on Tuesday or Wednesday. Harper underwent surgery to repair a fractured left thumb in late June, and told reporters (including MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki) that his thumb has now regained full strength and is at roughly “85-90 percent” in terms of mobility.
While his thumb seems to be making good progress, Harper did caution that “I’m not really sure how it’s going to feel after I make contact, things like that. [Batting practice], machine, it all feels good, but you just never know until you get in the game.” That said, Harper has set September 1 as a loose target date for a return, so it seems like he’ll be in line for a week of Triple-A games.
It is possible Harper’s rehab assignment could be on the longer side because he wants to “come back at full strength playing,” rather than something like a limited schedule of playing two of every three games. Harper has already been limited to some extent this season, as a UCL tear in his throwing elbow kept him limited to being a designated hitter since April.
That elbow problem didn’t keep Harper from hitting .318/.385/.599 with 15 home runs over his first 275 plate appearances. If Harper can get anywhere close to that production upon his return, the Phillies will get a major boost in their hopes of ending their postseason drought. Philadelphia has continued to play well with Harper sidelined, posting a 28-20 record in the 48 games since he fractured his thumb.
Phil’s really need Him back now. Took a hit with those two arms going down in the BP
19 of their next 22 games are against scrub teams. Hard to see them missing the playoffs.
Actually make that 22 of 22…
Sure but they’re only 1.5 games from being out of the playoffs. Not exactly safe regardless of schedule.
maybe n0t, but the Brewers are the only team that really has any chance of making a challenge and they still have series with the Yankees, Mets and Dodgers. and as we know they aren’t playing well.
They play the Braves and Astros down the stretch.
and they’ve played the Braves well and there is a very good chance the Astros will be resting a lot of guys in that final series. They’re up three games right now for the #1 seed and have a much easier schedule than the Yankees the rest of the way. the Phillies are in very good shape to make the playoffs. but if Seranthony doesn’t come back healthy their pen will be much weaker. I’m hoping Coonrod will be able to give them something.
One thing I’ve learned about this Phillies team the last few years, their greatest opponent is themselves. They can beat the Dodgers. They can get swept by the Cubs. They fall apart against the Mets. It’s all about them. If they crumble under pressure, which they tend to do, then it doesn’t matter how easy their schedule is….they’ll lose. It makes them infuriating to watch. There are times they look like an elite team. There are times, like this weekend, that they look like a struggling little league team.
Why would they rest anyone? Top two seeds get a bye in first round in playoffs. Do you think they want to rest for over a week?
Because it’s the last series of the season and they may be locked in a position already.
But they will already have rest days locked in from the first round by. Baseball players need reps or they regress fairly quickly.
Yea but teams don’t want to risk injury in meaningless games. We see it every year. Players will get reps, but likely not play a full game unless needed.
We have never seen it because there has never been a first round bye before.
@Mets698622 I’m not talking about the bye. I’m talking about teams playing minor leaguers once everything is clinched. Guys will 100% get their reps in, but the Astros very likely won’t be going hard that last series, and I hope the Phillies don’t have to either.
The pitching rotation is more important than the regular starting players. Verlander will not pitch, if they have are locked into either the #1, or #2 seed. You must be new to baseball, to not understand this.
The best course of action for Harper is to shut it down and pray his elbow and wrist hold up over the offseason. The Mets exposed our defense and bullpen last night and we’re unlikely to hold onto a playoff spot anyway, even with an easy schedule down the stretch. No closer, defense that literally drops the ball at inopportune times, and a big baby for a team leader who can’t seem to stay on the field = a recipe for a big fat choke.
Really with that username? The Phillies bullpen was decimated with injury so I give them a pass. You’re right about the defense though. Still, they’re in a playoff spot. So there’s no need to wave the white flag.
The Mets are a very good team. Like Yankee fans, Mets fans are trash talking baseball challenged scumbags. I guess it’s an NYC thing.
(And I had to clean this up.)
He should have had that elbow repaired when he went on the dl. His next ten years are more important then their slight chances of making the playoffs and then going through the Braves, Mets and Dodgers in the playoffs.
It’s more than a slight chance. They’re literally in the playoffs right now.
I’m talking about getting to the World Series and not the playoffs. The Phillies are a playoff team but wouldn’t you rather Harper 100% and trying to win mvps?
I think far worse teams than the 2022 Phillies have won the WS. If Harper feels comfortable hitting, he should do so. If he doesn’t feel right that’s another story. As a Mets fan, you haven’t really seen the Phillies play well, and they have played well for the majority of the year. They plsy like dog doo against the Mets.
You understand nothing of Harper’s ” slight ucl tear”. It is very unlikely that he will need surgery at any point. This type of injury heals naturally on it’s own over time. He will have 5 months to heal after the season, and will be ready for spring training.
The YAnks are swooning, Mets will take advantage of it this week and Braves will rough up Pirates. Phillies will play down to their competition and lose another few close ones this week and next. I wouldn’t rush him back.
No idea why the next 2 series matter(to the phils) when you reference the yanks, mets and braves when harper isnt available anyway. If the phils hold an avg win rate and don’t completely tank in a week, that is. I wouldn’t “rush” him back but on the cusp of the playoffs and not making it for so long, I’m pushing for the guy, who I paid 330 mil, to make the postseason to begin with if im the owner. Obviously you want him to play those games, and communication is key, as far as how he feels, but if you’re the phils you’re not just gonna put him on the shelf either. Playoff tickets and the food/merch are worth the risk,if I’m the owner, and the fanbase would be more than happy to oblige if they make it. Plus once you’re in anything can happen. This from someone who doesn’t care what the phils do. Tampa and Philadelphia have had too many matchups throughout all sports in the playoffs from hockey to football to baseball when I was younger…
We’re witnessing the Mets taking over NYC baseball. The Yankees FO remains totally lost. Mr. Cohen is not just putting a upscale team on the field, he’s building a solid organization that will have quality youngsters coming up for years.
Yankees will be like the Knicks and NY Football Giants…….fans and media living in the past, thinking every year they’ll turn it around.
With the recent injuries to Marsh, Knebel and Dominguez, the Phillies September swoon seems all too real. The Mets series was about as devastating as possible. I think there is a very real possibility that the Phils choke yet again.
It certainly is possible that the Phillies collapse. I think this team is different. Dominguez will make a monstrous difference. If he can return on September 2nd, then the Phillies should be ok. If not, they are doomed, even if they sneak in to the final spot.
Marsh will be back soon ( maybe on Friday). Dominguez is the real key. The injury report from the mri results was positive. If he comes back strong, they are in good shape. If not, they could very easily collapse. Knebel is a tougher loss than most Phillies fans believe.
VPH– you have quickly become the most negative phils fan on here. Congrats
mute button member
Was a low-life Mets imposter.
Wait- you’re muting VPH because they don’t cheerlead enough? That’s a new one.
Nah. Put in the Books/Metsfan22 created a fake VPH name with Haze instead of Hayes. Probably threw this guy off. Unless of course this guy is yet another account by Books. Which is always possible.
I always find it hilarious when they have to announce they are muting people. You don’t agree with somebody? Mute them. Guess muting people empowers them somehow. Some people take message boards way too seriously.
That’s crazy, Von Purple Hayes. What some nuts get up to around here. I guess it’s an odd honor to have someone so obsessed they create a troll account mimicking yours.
Whatever makes people happy I suppose. Haha.
What if Bryce goes 4-for-4 with 4 homers in his first minor league game? He will be back way earlier than next Monday lol
You weren’t too far off. He hit 2 homers.
The Phillies are much improved on Defense (Marsh CF, Stott SS, Segura 2B, JT C)
“Up the middle Defense” is where Champions are built.
The Phillies bullpen is much improved from just two years ago.
I tip my cap to Dave Dombrowski for major improvements to the Phillies without
giving away top young pitching prospects Painter and Abel.
Everyone knows the playoffs are a “crapshoot”
Any team that gets hot in the playoffs can “run the table” and win it all.
The Braves proved that, again, last year since most experts say the
Braves were not the strongest team(on paper) in the playoffs last year.
The Cardinals won it all one year with an 80+ win team.
Bryce Harper is a superstar player who can carry a team when he gets hot.
The thing that has impressed me about the Phillies this year is that many different players, including unsung players, have stepped up to help the Phillies win this year.
Not a Phillies fan, but that is how championship teams are made.
I don’t see the Phillies folding against any team.
However the road to the World Series goes thru Mets stadium and Dodger stadium.
They will have to find a way to beat those two teams that appear to be better on paper than the Phillies….playing their very best baseball @ the right time, the Phillies have a, legitimate, shot at it like any other team that makes the playoffs.
I know regular season is very different than the playoffs, but the Phils have a winning record against the Dodgers. So they can beat them. The Mets? Not so much.
You should stop posting…….all the trolls/Phillie haters are now screaming at their mothers for the hot pockets not being cool enough to eat right away……
On a secondary note…solid analysis….appreciate reading good posts….
Oh goody, right on time to miss the Mets but play all 7 games against the Braves to continue to help the Mets win the division. Oh goody!
The Braves never had more reason to hate the Phillies than this season. It’s almost like the Phils are doing it on purpose.
I know you are saying it in jest, but that is basically how it will play out if the Phillies play better against the Braves. If the Mets were 15-4 against the Nats or Marlins, it is understandable. The Phillies not only lost 15 games, but they were humiliated for better part of them. Just think, if the series went 11-8 Mets, the Braves would be in first right now. You give credit where credit is do, but I just can’t give it to the Mets. The Braves will have to earn their division title this season.
And he homers in his first rehab at bat
And there’s another (plus 2 walks)
Twice. The guy is incredible. I’ll never understand the hate.