If Bryce Harper gets cleared, he could return as soon as Tuesday

The long-awaited moment, even with a record quick healing time, may have arrived as Harper could play as soon as Tuesday.

Bryce Harper takes the field to receive his ring during the Philadelphia Phillies game against the Cincinnati Reds at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pa. on Sunday, April 9, 2023.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer

by Alex Coffey

Published April 30, 2023, 6:37 p.m. ET

HOUSTON — Bryce Harper will meet with Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles on Monday while the Phillies are in town for the Dodgers series. If Harper is cleared by ElAttrache, he is expected to return to the lineup as soon as Tuesday night, according to a confirmed report. Even though Harper has been working out at first base, and will play there at some point this season, he will return as a designated hitter.

It is a remarkable turnaround for a player who got Tommy John surgery on his right elbow on Nov. 23. The Phillies initially said that Harper would be back sometime around the All-Star break. If he does return Tuesday, he’ll have beaten that estimate by about two months.

Manager Rob Thomson said that given how quickly Harper has been advancing in his rehab, it would be a disappointment to both Harper and Thomson it he wasn’t cleared. Over the past few weeks, he’s started to learn a new position — first base — faced live pitching, worked on sliding and baserunning drills, and has begun throwing. Harper faced live pitching and threw out to 60 feet Sunday in Houston.

”I think he’s pretty geeked up about getting out there and playing,” Thomson said. “He’s itching.”

“Gotta get him cleared to headfirst slide,” said Thomson on Sunday on the ESPN broadcast. “You know Harp, he’s a gamer; he’s not going to slide feet first, he’s going to slide headfirst. But once he gets that clearance, he can DH.”

Harper’s teammates were understandably excited — but not surprised — about the news.

“Hey man, he’s a super human,” said backup catcher Garrett Stubbs. “I think everyone knows it by now, and this is just another way of him proving it. I’m looking forward to watching him do super human things when he’s in the lineup.”

“He’s like Superman, coming back from something that he had to get done in this time period is really impressive,” said center fielder Brandon Marsh. “We all trust him and the training staff and if he says he’s good, he’s good. Watching the last month has been very impressive. It’s pretty amazing to watch. We’re all super excited.”