‘This is all just a bonus:’ Why Bryce Harper feels fortunate to be hitting for power again for the Phillies

For six months, Bryce Harper cared only about doing all he could to nudge the Phillies back to the postseason. So, he hustled to return in record time from an elbow ligament reconstruction. He rediscovered his missing home-run power. He even learned to play a new position.

Lately, though, Harper has taken time to reflect. It has happened amid small talk with runners at first base, or idle chatter around the clubhouse, or quiet moments at home. And it usually centers on the same theme.

“I am just so fortunate to be in this spot right now,” Harper said Saturday. “Just the way my offseason went and the way my rehab went and things like that. This is all just a bonus for me.”

» READ MORE: Being more athletic is ‘a big difference’ for the Phillies, starting with their dynamic duo up the middle

Maybe Harper was being modest. He did, after all, confide in agent Scott Boras last December that he would make it back from Tommy John elbow surgery by May 1, even though the Phillies set a conservative timeline of “by the All-Star break” based on medical opinions. (He returned to the lineup on May 2 at Dodger Stadium.)

If this is a bonus, Harper surely earned it.

But his point is well-taken. When the regular season ends next weekend, he will have played in nearly 130 games, including 30-something with a glove on his hand. He reached 20 home runs for the ninth time in 12 seasons. His on-base percentage will be roughly .400, his OPS almost .900. He may even get some down-ballot National League MVP votes.

Whatever the Phillies expected from Harper this season, it almost certainly wasn’t all of that.

“I’m very, very happy with the 20 homers that I’m at right now,” Harper said. “We’ve got a couple more games to go, so hopefully I’ll hit a couple more. But just the way my season has gone, after having full-blown Tommy John surgery, coming back and playing the way I am, I’m very happy with that.”

Especially because it wasn’t nearly as easy as it often appeared.

» READ MORE: Alec Bohm doesn’t mind managers intentionally walking Bryce Harper in front of him

Harper went 3-for-3 in his second game back in the lineup. He homered in his fourth game and again in his ninth. He batted .315 and had an OPS of .893 through 24 games.

But Harper didn’t play in spring training or go on a minor league assignment after being unable to work out like normal in the offseason. Consequently, he lacked his usual strength, which became evident through the middle of the season.

From May 26 through July 15 — a span of 38 games — he went 166 plate appearances without going deep, surpassing his previous career-long homerless drought by 64 plate appearances, or roughly 13 games. Harper insisted he wasn’t worried about the lack of power and expressed confidence that it would return as he continued to gain strength.

Sure enough, since July 15, Harper had 17 homers and a .568 slugging percentage through Saturday. It isn’t so much that he’s taking better swings. Harper’s swing was never the problem. He’s recognizing pitches better and, most critically, feeling stronger.

“Trying to keep my body under me, my legs under me,” Harper said. “Not being able to work out this offseason was pretty tough for me. Not having a spring training, all of it. Just really fortunate to have the people around me that have pushed me to get to this point.”

In particular, Harper often credits head athletic trainer Paul Buchheit. For months, Buchheit put on a glove and played catch with Harper, overseeing a throwing program that progressed from light tosses to sidearm heaters across the infield.

(Side note: Other than losing Rhys Hoskins to a season-ending knee injury in spring training, a blow to the middle of the lineup, the Phillies have stayed relatively healthy compared to the field. They’ve put 15 players on the injured list and lost 880 manpower days, compared with 33 players and 2,118 days for the Dodgers and 22 players and 1,608 days for the Braves.)

» READ MORE: Rob Thomson and Dave Dombrowski have been brilliant in guiding the Phillies back to the playoffs

Harper made his debut at first base on July 21. The Phillies were always going to take it slow with his on-the-job training. Then, his back flared up, and he went a week in late August without playing defense.

But Harper knows the Phillies’ optimal lineup has him at first base, with Kyle Schwarber as the designated hitter and defensive wizard Johan Rojas in center field. In the playoffs, they won’t play more than three games in a row without a day off, so over the last few weeks, Harper has worked toward that threshold. Maybe he will reach it in the final week of the season.

“We’re still going to try to plan that out,” he said. “I want to stay as fresh as possible, as well. Because my legs, understanding that I need to keep those fresh to be able to swing the bat. If there’s days I’ll have to DH, then there’s days I’m going to be a DH. But just want to give us the best opportunity to win, whatever I can do.”

And however it turns out, he will be thankful for it.

“We’ve still got a long ways to go,” Harper said. “Hopefully soak it all in in November and have some fun.”