Thursday is the first day Phillies designated hitter Bryce Harper is eligible to come off the 60-day injured list, but exactly when he will return is still in question.
Phillies interim manager Rob Thomson said Harper returning this weekend against the Pirates remains a “possibility,” but that it will depend on how the former NL MVP feels.
After a two-home run performance at triple-A Lehigh Valley on Wednesday night, many of his teammates were insisting he’s ready. But after the game, Harper indicated that he’d like to stick to the plan of spending most of the week at triple-A.
“We’re gonna take it one game at a time,” Harper said after hitting two homers and reaching base four times in his first live game action since fracturing his thumb on June 25. “Understanding that [Tuesday night] was great, but at the same time I need the at-bats, see different pitches, different guys, different angles. Understanding how my body is going to react, what my thumb is going to be like and just try to go from there.”
Harper was set to DH again on Wednesday night at Lehigh Valley. Thomson will call him on Thursday to check in and see what he’s thinking regarding timing.
“I texted [Bryce] today and said, ‘Look, your timing looks a little off, but keep working at it,’” Thomson joked.
