Bryce Harper Is Cleared to Return To The Lineup, Will DH Tuesday
*Update* As expected, Bryce Harper has been cleared to return, and will DH in Tuesday Night’s Game vs the Dodgers.
Breaking: Bryce Harper has been cleared to play by the Phillies just 159 days after Tommy John surgery, sources tell @JeffPassan.
— ESPN (@espn) May 1, 2023
He was initially expected to return in July and is now expected to be in the lineup starting at designated hitter Tuesday. pic.twitter.com/s9xxLpiJLa
Word has been that the only thing between Bryce Harper returning to the Phillies lineup was being cleared by his surgeon. We know he was supposed to meet with them today. It seems like Bryce Harper is happy with what the Doctor told him. Because he took to Instagram to ask Phillies fans if they are ready.
From @bryceharper3’s Instagram: pic.twitter.com/lc62gKrwgk
— 𝐃𝐚𝐧 𝐑𝐨𝐜𝐡𝐞 (@RochesRWinners) May 1, 2023
Bryce Harper started the season on the 15-day IL. He was expected to miss a few months recovering from the Tommy John’s Surgery he underwent back in late November. Initially, we were told he would be back before the All-Star Break.
But as the season approached, the timeline for his return kept getting shorter and shorter. First, he was hitting underhand tosses way ahead of schedule. When he felt no pain doing that, he progressed to hitting off a tee. It became even stranger when the Phillies elected to not put him on the 60-day IL. Suggesting they thought he could return before July. Little did we know our timeline was off by about a month. Because now he may be back here at the start of May.
Last week we were told that once he was cleared by the Surgeon to slide, he could return the next day. Media members were telling us Tuesday could be his return to the team. All we were waiting for was for him to meet with his Doctor. There is no official word from the Phillies yet. But surely Harper would not put that Instagram post out for no reason.
Bryce Harper appears to have been cleared to play. And if that’s the case, we could see him back in a lineup that has already been hot in this Dodgers series. Maybe even for tonights game.
