Rob Thomson has a date in mind for Bryce Harper’s return.
He just won’t share it right now.
The Philadelphia Phillies star outfielder has yet to play this season as he recovers from Tommy John surgery. He can return this season as a designated hitter, and the Phillies not putting him on the 60-day IL suggests a return before the end of May is on the table.
Philly’s manager said on the 94WIP Morning Show that he’s got a date in mind for Harper to come back.
“I'm not going to tell you, but I've got a date,” Thomson quipped. “I think he could hit in a game, whether that’s a rehab game or whatever. It’s just the sliding part of it, we’ve got to get clearance from the doctors so that he feels like we can progress with the sliding, do some more aggressive head-first slides.
“Because that's how he does most of his sliding is head-first, and there’s an injury factor that he could rupture it again until we get clearance and we know that everything is strong inside that elbow.”
Obviously, Harper and the Phillies have to proceed with extreme caution. Not having Rhys Hoskins ups the urgency to get Harper’s bat back in the lineup, but not at the risk of causing a setback.
The waiting game has left Harper champing at the bit.
“He’s itching to go, he’s itching to go. He’d play right today,” Thomson said. “All in all he just loves to play. He doesn’t ever want a day off, he just loves to play, loves to compete, he loves the game and he knows the history of the game. He’s really something.”
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