Bryce Harper feels good as he reports to Phillies, but won’t rush his return to the lineup

CLEARWATER, Fla. — In his first time speaking with reporters after undergoing Tommy John surgery in November, the Phillies’ Bryce Harper said Thursday he is “feeling good” physically, but still has no timeline for when he will play again.

“I think today we’ll probably go over that a little bit more, get a sense of where they’re at, where I’m at,” said Harper, who reported to Phillies camp on Thursday. “I had a great offseason. After I had surgery I felt really good. I still feel good now. I don’t want to put a timeline on anything. I’ve never dealt with anything like an elbow. So it’s definitely different waters for me. So I’m taking it day by day and see how I feel.”

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Harper, 30, said he is still dry swinging, which means he’s taking swings without hitting a baseball. He is still comfortable with the initial timeline the Phillies gave for his return, around the All-Star break.

“Things can change either way,” Harper said. “I can be after, I can be before. As of now, that’s the date we solidified. We’re not going to rush. We’re going to be smart about it. We knew at the end of the year last year that this might happen. So we’re thankful for the DH — again. I mean, I was so against it, but I’m all about it. I love doing it, too.”

Harper hit off a tee on Thursday, according to manager Rob Thomson. He will hit off a tee every other day as part of his rehab. After that, he will progress to soft toss, cage batting practice, field batting practice and live batting practice.

“We’re going to take it slow with him obviously,” Thomson said. “He’s a great player and we want him back 100%.”

Harper was limited to eight starts in right field last season because of an injury to the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow that prevented him from throwing. Primarily as the designated hitter, he batted .286/.364/.514 with 18 homers in 426 plate appearances despite also missing 52 games with a broken thumb.

When asked whether it will be a bonus to play right field this season, Harper said it depends on how he’s feeling.

“I don’t think we’re going to rush back the throwing part,” he said. “We kind of don’t have to at this point. But of course I want to play the outfield, I want to get back out there in front of the fans in right field. I look forward to getting back and throwing the baseball again. I miss the feeling of throwing a guy out or chasing down a ball. So looking forward to that when that day comes. But I don’t want to look ahead until we get to that point.”

Harper said he has been watching spring training games from his home in Las Vegas and is “really excited” to see how everyone meshes together. He found out about the Phillies signing Trea Turner to an 11-year, $300 million contract in December from owner John Middleton who told Harper, “Hey, we’ve got your friend.”

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“I was like, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me right now,’” Harper said. “I’m really excited. Trea is such an unbelievable player. Really excited to have him on our side. He’s a dynamic player. He’s a threat on both sides of the ball. He’s going to steal bags for us. He’s going to take the extra base. He plays the game hard.

“People in Philadelphia are going to love this guy just because of his demeanor and how he plays. He plays through injury, he plays hard. Never wavers. Just a lot of fun to be able to have him back on our team and be able to see him play.”

Whenever Harper returns to play, he will see a different game with new rules. The bases are bigger, there’s a limit on defensive shifts, and both hitters and pitchers will now have to contend with a pitch clock.

Harper, who has a lengthy routine in the box, said he knows he will have to adjust.

“Just got to figure it out,” Harper said of the pitch clock. “That’s about it. As of right now, once I get out there, once I get playing, I’ve got to figure out what works for me.

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“The thing about baseball, right — everybody always says, take a deep breath. Relax, take a deep breath. Pitching, hitting, everything. We were the only sport without a pitch clock. We were the only sport not on time. But that’s the beauty of our game, we weren’t on a clock. But at the same time, that’s how they feel that our game is going to get better, so you’ve got to respect it.

“At some point I think it’ll evolve. I think this is something that’s going to evolve and get better with time. That’s funny actually, better with time. But I think it’ll evolve and players will have to evolve at this point. We’ll see how it works.”