Many moons ago, Bryce Harper, the reigning National League MVP, suited up for the Philadelphia Phillies and suffered a broken thumb after being hit by a pitch from San Diego Padres starter Blake Snell.
However, his absence doesn’t appear to have hurt the Phillies too much, as since he went down, they have gone 27-17 and have found themselves in the second NL Wild Card spot.
Soon though, Harper will be back.
Last night, Tom Verducci of FOX Sports revealed that Harper will begin his rehab assignment this coming Tuesday, with September 1 being the targeted return date for last year’s NL MVP.
Bryce Harper is expected to begin his Triple-A rehab assignment Tuesday.
Tom Verducci has more on when you can expect to see him back in the @Phillies lineup: pic.twitter.com/1UlMezxs0B
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) August 17, 2022
Harper On His Way Back
The Phillies have played well without Harper, but soon he’ll be back and will give them a shot in the arm.
It’s been an odd year for Harper, who tore his UCL earlier in the season and was later limited to designated hitter duties, as the Phillies didn’t want him to risk further damaging it while playing right field and throwing.
After that came the thumb injury.
In that case, the Phillies won’t be getting Harper back in full capacity, as he’s still recovering from his elbow injury and will be limited to DH duties.
But having his bat in the lineup will change the dynamic of this team and put them in a great position to make a run.
This Phillies team appears to be built different than some of the more recent iterations.
This is a club that has the nucleus of players to win a championship, but their window was stuck for a while.
Since firing Joe Girardi, they have bounced back into contention and have continued to win, even without Harper.
It’s going to be fun for the Phillies when he returns.
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