Bryce Haper officially reported to spring training on Wednesday and for the first time since undergoing Tommy John surgery in November, the Philadelphia Phillies All-Star slugger spoke with reporters.
After dealing with a UCL injury for the majority of the season and through the playoffs, he still helped the Phillies to the World Series against the Houston Astros — the first appearance since 2009. During last season’s playoffs, the two-time National League MVP hit for a .349 average with a 1.160 OPS and six home runs. During the regular season, he boasted a .286/.364/.514 line.
The Phillies and Harper are being cautious though, as they won’t rush the 30-year-old back from his elbow injury which required offseason surgery. “I still have a long way to go,” Harper said via MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki.
Harper was asked about a timeline for his return on Thursday:
“I think today we’ll probably go over that a little bit more and get a sense of where they’re at, where I’m at. I had a great offseason after I had surgery,” Harper said. “I felt really good. I still feel good now. I don’t want to put timelines on anything because I’ve never dealt with anything like an elbow. It’s definitely different waters for me.
“Things can change [with the All-Star break timeline] either way. I can be after. I can be before. As of right now, that’s the date we’ve kind of solidified. We’re not going to rush. We’re going to be smart about it.”
We’ll have to see when Harper ultimately returns to the Phillies lineup. At the very least, the 2022 National League champions should be able to tread water with a lineup that includes Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, J.T. Realmuto and Rhys Hoskins.
[MLB.com]
