Bryce Harper, who has been on the injured list since June 26 after fracturing his left thumb, said he feels like the thumb is at “85-90%” strength right now.
He hit in the batting cage Sunday, on the field at Citizens Bank Park on Monday, and will likely go on a rehab assignment in the middle of the week. The Phillies are thinking Harper will report to triple-A Lehigh Valley for his rehab assignment.
“I’m getting a lot better,” Harper said on Sunday. “The more I hit, the more I use it, it’s getting better. Yeah, I think we’re happy where we’re at right now. We’ll just progress as we see fit.
“I think our biggest thing is the [mobility] of it, I guess, isn’t there. That’s why I say 85, somewhere in there, just because of the [mobility] part of it. But I think the strength and everything like that is there. I think as we progress it’s going to get better and better, I hope.”
Harper is unsure of how many at-bats he’ll need at Lehigh Valley, and says he plans to play it by ear. He has yet to play in a game since he was hit on the thumb by a Blake Snell fastball on June 25, so he doesn’t know how his thumb will respond when he starts making contact in a game situation.
When asked whether he would alternate between one day on and one day off, Harper said he was unsure. He wants to come back when he can play at full strength.
“I’m not there yet,” he said. “We’ll play that first game. If I feel like I want to play again, we’ll play. If I need a day, then I’ll take a day. But I don’t want to come back and take any days off, right? Once I get back on a big league field, I want to get in and keep playing.”
President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said that a Sept. 1 return for Harper would be a realistic goal.
“I think it’s always a goal to have in mind where you want to be and what you want to do,” Harper said. “But like I said, we don’t know until I play. We can all talk about when and where, but we just don’t know until I play and how I feel with contact and things like that. You guys will know once I’m back, and I’ll be ready to go once I’m back.”
