Phillies Star Bryce Harper Provides Update on Injured Thumb

As the Phillies scrap to maintain control of a playoff spot, one of their best players continues to inch his way back into the lineup.

Bryce Harper offered an update on his broken left thumb on Sunday, saying it felt at about “85-90%” strength, according to Alex Coffey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. The plan is for Harper to hit in the batting cage on Sunday, followed by a rehab assignment sometime in the middle of next week. The team is likely to send Harper to Triple A Lehigh Valley.

Harper hasn’t played for the Phillies since June 25 when he was hit by a pitch on his left thumb by San Diego’s Blake Snell.

“I’m getting a lot better,” Harper said, per Coffey. “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.”

The reigning National League MVP has been limited almost exclusively to designated hitting this season due to an elbow injury. In 64 games, Harper has batted .318/.385/.599 with 15 home runs, 48 RBI and nine stolen bases.