Phillies' Rob Thomson: Bryce Harper Will Return from Injured List Friday
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Philadelphia Phillies' interim manager Rob Thomson announced Thursday afternoon that reigning National League MVP Bryce Harper will return to the club's lineup Friday night versus the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The Phillies had announced earlier this week that the club hoped Harper would be ready to return by next Monday. He will instead be activated from the Injured List three days earlier than initially expected.
"I talked to him last night," Thomson told reporters Thursday. "He said he felt great. He said he feels like his timing is down. He felt really comfortable in the box. His body was sore, just in general. It's like being five days into spring training, which is understandable. He's been out a couple of months.
"So I (asked him), 'Are you ready to go?" Thomson said. "And he said yeah. Then I talked to him this morning and he said his body was still sore. I said, 'Let's take a day, come here and work out, and we'll activate him tomorrow."
Harper's minor league rehab assignment is finished. Though the team had originally planned for him to play in Triple-A for the remainder of the week, he will not play in Triple-A Lehigh Valley's game Thursday against the Gwinnett Stripers.
In two games at Lehigh Valley, Harper batted .625 with a video-game-like OPS of 2.325 and two home runs and four RBI. He hit a walk-off double in the IronPigs' victory over the Stripers' Wednesday night.
Harper landed on the Injured List June 25 when a wild Blake Snell fastball caught him on the hand, fracturing the outfielder's thumb. He has not played in a Major League game since.
Prior to his injury, the reigning National League MVP was having another MVP-caliber first half, slashing .318/.385/.985 with 15 home runs and 48 RBI, mostly filling the team’s designated hitter spot.
