PHILADELPHIA — Bryce Harper returned to the Phillies clubhouse Tuesday and channeled his inner Terminator.
“I’ll be back,” he said.
All that was missing were the Gargoyle wraparound sunglasses.
When, exactly, will Harper be back in the lineup? Well, that’s another matter. Not wanting to overpromise and underdeliver, the reigning National League MVP declined several times to put a timetable on his recovery from a fractured left thumb, although a source familiar with Harper’s thinking said last week that he’s aiming to be back before Sept. 1, possibly even by the middle of August.
Is that realistic, based on what he has been told by doctors?
“I don’t want to give anybody a timetable because I don’t know,” Harper said. “If I knew a specific date that I’d be back, I’d tell you. But I just don’t think that’s fair to anybody. I’ll be back when I’m ready to go.”
Harper had three pins inserted into his thumb in a surgery performed last Wednesday by Pedro Beredjiklian, the chief orthopedic hand surgeon at Rothman Orthopaedic Institute. Harper said the fracture was described to him as “just a normal break.” But without the pins to stabilize the bone, the healing process likely would have taken longer.
The last week has been difficult for Harper. He said he has been “in a lot of pain” since the surgery but noticed some improvement Monday. The pins won’t be removed for another three weeks, according to Harper, who said he “can’t do anything,” baseball-wise, until they are removed.
At the earliest, then, he would begin to ramp up physical activities in the last week of July. And he said he can’t imagine not going on a rehab assignment in the minors to get at-bats before being ready to hit major league pitching again.
There’s also the matter of Harper’s balky right elbow. A tear in his ulnar collateral ligament has prevented him from throwing since the middle of April. Harper was scheduled to get an ultrasound last week to gauge the amount of healing. That won’t happen now for another week or two.
“I think we need to get the thumb figured out and get the elbow figured out when we need to,” Harper said. “I’m not going to rush the elbow, but at the same time, if it feels good, I’m going to go.”
Entering Tuesday night’s series opener against the last-place Washington Nationals, the Phillies were one game out of a playoff spot — and 4-3 since Harper got hit on the thumb by a 97-mph fastball from San Diego Padres lefty Blake Snell. The objective is to stay close until the return of Harper and the rest of the cavalry — second baseman Jean Segura (broken right index finger) and pitchers Zach Eflin (bruised right knee) and Ranger Suárez (low back spasms).
To that end, the expectation around baseball is that president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski will add to the roster before the Aug. 2 trade deadline.
“I would think if we’re in that third spot of the wild card after this [upcoming] trip, I mean, I don’t see why we wouldn’t go out and do it,” Harper said. “I don’t ever doubt Dombrowski to go and do what he needs to do. Same with [owner John] Middleton. They want to win more than anybody. It should be a good deadline if we do our job in here and get to where we need to be.”
But Harper made another thing clear: He intends to play again this season no matter where the Phillies are in the standings.
“If we’re in it, if we’re out of it, I’m going to come back and play just so I know I can go out there and play the game,” Harper said. “I don’t want that game in San Diego to be my last day playing this year. If I can assure myself that I can go out there and play the game at the high level that I want to, I’ll be back playing.”
In the meantime, he will be the highest-paid Phillies fan. Harper said he has follow-up appointments with the doctors Thursday and next Monday, so he doesn’t plan on traveling with the team until after the All-Star break. But he will be watching.
“It’s crazy watching with my [2-year-old] son, Krew, because he knows all the players and their names. I’m like, ‘What?,’ ” Harper said. “I’ll sit there with him and look at my wife and I’m like, ‘Is this how it is all the time?’ It’s definitely different. Just being at home, not sitting in the dugout, it’s rough for me. But it’s been cool just sitting there with my little man and seeing the guys win.”
