Bryce Harper, the Philadelphia Phillies’ star player, is showing signs of progress in his recovery from right wrist inflammation. On Friday afternoon, Harper hit off a tee for the first time since being placed on the injured list on June 7. He completed 20 dry swings followed by another 20 swings off the tee. Additionally, he played catch at Citizens Bank Park before the series opener against the Mets, wearing a brace on his wrist.
“Felt good today,” Harper stated. “I felt better than I thought it was [going to], so I’m happy about that.”
If Harper’s wrist responds well to this initial test, he plans to repeat a similar routine on Saturday. However, there is still uncertainty regarding his return timeline.
“I don’t know,” he remarked. “This is the first day swinging a bat, so I’ve just got to see how it feels tomorrow, see if we can progress. Once we do, I’ll ramp up and see where I am.”
Harper has been dealing with wrist pain since mid-April but continued playing until early June when it became intolerable.
“When I came back and I was feeling the pain, it just wasn’t a pain I could tolerate on the field,” Harper explained. “I understand what I can tolerate and what I can’t… but it got to the point where I just couldn’t do it.”
Determining when Harper will be able to play again remains challenging due to ongoing pain management issues.
“We haven’t really gotten too many answers about it,” Harper admitted regarding why the inflammation returned this year. “… There’s no structural issues… We’ve talked to multiple doctors, but just a lot of inflammation in that area.”
Despite being pain-free from December until mid-April during offseason downtime, questions remain about preventing future flare-ups.
“That’s obviously a great question,” said Harper concerning workload adjustments between games. “I’m not happy that it came back… It’s tough not to take those swings or do any of those things…”
Harper hopes for continued improvement and relief from discomfort as he rests and receives treatment.
“I hope the pain gets out of there… But hopefully it can get out of there,” he concluded when asked if rest might fully resolve his condition.
