2 min read • May 02, 2023
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The day Phillies fans have long-awaited is here: Bryce Harper will make his return from Tommy John surgery tonight against the Dodgers.
Before the start of the season, our panel of doctors had optimism Harper would beat the team’s reported target of the All-Star break.
That optimism grew when the team chose not to place him on the 60-day IL to start the season.
Here’s Dr. David Chao talking about Harper’s return with Jayson Stark on the March 27 ProFootballDoc podcast.
As our panel of doctors detailed in early March, Harper will have full ability to swing the bat while his UCL continues healing. He played most of last season with a torn UCL and was relegated to the role of designated hitter because he could not throw until undergoing surgery.
That will still be the case when he returns, as he likely won’t be ready to play the field until late this season, if at all.
The team was reportedly cautious with his return over the chance of reaggravating his healing UCL on the basepaths, but wearing a brace while running the bases will protect against that.
Harper underwent right elbow surgery late last November and is returning in under six months.
Dual-threat superstar Shohei Ohtani underwent Tommy John surgery in early October 2018 and returned May 7, 2019.
Ohtani returned and hit without incident, slugging 18 home runs with a .286 batting average in 106 games during the 2019 season.
He returned to the mound in late July 2020.
Harper joins a Phillies offense in need of a boost. They rank 18th in runs per game (4.33) and 20th in strikeouts per game (9.03) but are third in hits per game (9.4).
Last season, he drove in 65 runs over 99 games while hitting .286 with 18 home runs.
The Phillies (15-15) currently sit in fourth place in the NL East.
They have the 10th best odds to win the World Series at +2000, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Philadelphia is +700 to win the NL east, trailing the Braves at -300 and the Mets at +400.
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In this clip from the March 27 @ProFootballDoc podcast, @jaysonst joined to discuss Bryce Harper's return timeline for the @Phillies Since his TJ surgery last November, our panel of doctors have had optimism Harper could return in the first half of the season More on Harper's
