Matt Gelb Discusses Bryce Harper Beginning His Rehab Assignment
Matt Gelb of The Athletic joined “The Best Show Ever?” earlier today. He discussed Bryce Harper beginning his rehab assignment, Alec Bohm and Bryson Stott turning their season’s around, and more. Here is some of what he had to say to us.
On the Timeline for Bryce Harper to Return
“The club did not release a timetable on purpose. With these thumb injuries, if it requires surgery it’s generally an 8-week thing. It’s a broken bone, it’s not like it’s a muscle or some kind of tear that can heal at different rates. A break is a break. If he does come back Monday it will be a little north of 8 weeks. Probably right around where I expected. If he gets back, and they get him back for the final 5 weeks, they’ll be pretty happy about that.”
On Bryce Harper Taking it Slow and The Expectations When He Does Return
“I think it’s more about the mobility. He said the strength is there, but he still has a little bit of restricted mobility. He just hasn’t tested it. I think that’s why he wants to play 5 games in a row here. He hasn’t seen live pitching yet, he doesn’t know how it’s going to react. I suspect that he’s going to be fine. He’s taken pretty deliberate steps here. He has not tried to rush this thing. And credit to him, you didn’t want him to rush it, then come back and not be right. He wants to come back and play every single day. Given how they’ve handled this, I think that’s a fair expectation.”
On The Improvements of Bryson Stott
“Every week that we see him, he does something he couldn’t have done early in the season. Early on he looked overmatched. He didn’t play very much, he didn’t get a lot of chances… I know Stott was looking over his shoulder, and there were a lot of swings and misses. But what’s impressed me is he’s just gotten better… Just impressed by the overall approach. I think he’s a guy who is mature for his age. He’s corrected and made some adjustments. And you love to see that from a rookie because that is not easy to do.”
On Alec Bohm’s Turnaround
“He’s never going to be a gold glove 3rd baseman. He may never be an above-average 3rd baseman. But he was borderline unplayable early in the year. But he is way better than that now. He’s getting closer to average. That is a credit to him. It is a credit to Bobby Dickerson whose done great work with him… He’s using all parts of the field which you love. Do you wish there was a little more power? You do. But if he is hitting .300, and get a few extra-base hits, it’s a great profile… Bohm has been a real revelation this season. I think he deserves a lot of credit for turning it around.”
You can listen to the full interview here…
