Bryce Harper on a Faster Trajekt-ory than the Last Phillies Health Update

Maybe Mother’s Day isn’t that ambitious after all.

In yet another Bryce Harper update, it’s sounding like there’s a chance Harper could be back two weeks from Friday.

While manager Rob Thomson didn’t offer up much in the way of dates, he did confirm that Harper is scheduled to see Dr. Neil ElAttrache, “sometime around May 1st,” which just so happens to coincide with the Phillies’ trip to Los Angeles to play the Dodgers. ElAttrache is based in L.A.

Thomson said if he is cleared by ElAttrache to play – as a DH – at that visit, that it “won’t be long after that” until he is activated in the lineup.

After that Dodgers series, the Phillies return home for a weekend series against the Boston Red Sox beginning May 5th.

But wait a minute, what about a rehab assignment? Wouldn’t Harper need to ramp up to be ready to come back into the lineup? 

According to Thomson, no.

Harper has been hitting A LOT. He faced live pitching again on Thursday, taking swings off Victor Vargas, a minor league starter with High-A Jersey before the rest of the Phillies took the field for warmups and batting practice:

A little Bryce Harper live batting practice on your Thursday afternoon: pic.twitter.com/RT9lgoUPN4

— Scott Lauber (@ScottLauber) April 20, 2023

Harper then had an extended fielding workout at first base with Bobby Dickerson. Thomson also said Harper threw from 60 feet today for the first time since surgery.

Between live batting practice and working with the Phillies shiny new Trajekt pitching machine that can simulate any pitcher from around the world, Thomson said their plan is to do everything possible to `get Harper ready to play so that once he’s cleared he can jump back in without having to build up timing in the minors.

By the way, this pitching robot is pretty insane:

Trajekt Arc™ Explainer Video from Trajekt Sports on Vimeo.

Thomson did say that playing first base would be down the line for Harper, so don’t expect to see him there when he first returns, but the first week of May is a huge difference than the original target of after the All-Star break.

Oh, and before anyone starts to panic that the Phillies are “rushing Harper back,” keep in mind the monetary investment they have in him. There’s no reason to risk him coming back too soon and re-injuring the elbow with that many zeros still owed to him. They will not put him in harm’s way.

Nor would ElAttrache, the most prolific surgeon performing Tommy John surgeries in America, put his reputation on the line by saying Harper can come back sooner than it’s safe to do so.

It should also be noted that ElAttrache could tell Harper that, and the return can be delayed a little longer, but at this point, the only thing holding him back is sliding, because every other aspect of being a hitter are boxes Harper has already checked in his rehab.

Do yourself a favor, buy tickets for that Cinco de Mayo game before its officially announced he’s coming back and the prices triple.

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