Phillies’ Bryce Harper has pins removed from thumb, cleared to ramp up baseball activity

What if Bryce Harper winds up being the Phillies’ biggest midseason addition?

Harper had three pins removed from his left thumb Monday, 33 days after they were initially inserted to stabilize a fracture. It was a significant step in the reigning National League MVP’s attempt to play again this season, and it came one day before the trade deadline.

The Phillies still aren’t providing a timetable for Harper’s return. Harper has declined numerous times to predict when he may be able to play out of concern for overpromising and underdelivering.

» READ MORE: The Bryce Harper Show remains off the national stage, and that’s bad for baseball

But Harper’s doctors consider the fracture to be healed and cleared him to ramp up physical activity as a lead-up to a hitting progression. Once he feels ready, Harper expects to go on a minor league assignment before eventually rejoining the Phillies.

“That’s the main goal right now, try to get back in the lineup as fast as possible but understanding that I want to be playing at a high level when I get back, too,” Harper said last week. “Not just, ‘Hey, I’m back in the lineup,’ but getting back and playing at a high level knowing I’ve got at-bats under me.”

The Phillies are 18-12 since Harper got hit on the thumb by a wayward 97-mph fastball from San Diego’s Blake Snell in the fourth inning on June 25. Kyle Schwarber and Rhys Hoskins carried the offense for several weeks leading to the All-Star break. Since then, Alec Bohm and J.T. Realmuto have gotten hot as others have cooled.

But Harper’s return would provide an obvious boost. He’s batting .318 and slugging .599 with 21 doubles, 15 homers, and a .389 on-base percentage in 64 games. The question now is how close he can come to his customary level of production as he regains full use of his top thumb on the bat.

“With how violent my swing is, with how I use my top hand, how arm-barred I am up top, how much strength I get in my top hand, it’s a big hand for me,” Harper said. “If it was maybe a different digit or my bottom hand, it might be a little different. But I want to be able to use all my fingers properly on a baseball bat and not try to change my swing or change the position of my hands.”

Another question: Will Harper be able to play right field?

» READ MORE: Inside Bryce Harper's transition to full-time DH: 'I don't feel like I'm doing enough'

Harper had been relegated to a full-time designated hitter role since the middle of April because of a torn ligament in his right elbow. He said last week that he wouldn’t be cleared to test his throwing until after the pins came out of his thumb.

“That’s another program I have to go through, a throwing program,” Harper said. “Hopefully I’ll be in right field by the end of the year, playing out there and being successful throwing a baseball.”

The Phillies promoted breakout pitching prospect Ben Brown to double-A Reading.

A 22-year-old right-hander and former 33rd-round draft pick, Brown piled up big strikeout numbers for high-A Jersey Shore. He fanned 105 of 297 batters (35.4%) and walked only 23 (7.7%) while posting a 3.08 ERA in 73 innings.

Amid the backdrop of Tuesday’s 6 p.m. trade deadline, Brown’s call-up may seem curiously timed. But the Phillies moved up several other players after Sunday’s games, including right-hander Rodolfo Sanchez and outfielder Marcus Lee Sang to Jersey Shore and outfielder Carlos De La Cruz to Reading.

» READ MORE: Phillies at the trade deadline: Sizing up potential starting pitcher targets

The Phillies have signaled that top pitching prospects Andrew Painter, Mick Abel, and Griff McGarry are off limits in trade talks. Brown, who has rocketed up Baseball America’s rankings to the No. 7 spot in the Phillies’ farm system, figures to also draw interest from teams that like his 6-foot-6 frame and power slider.

The Phillies reinstated lefty reliever Ryan Sherriff from the 60-day injured list and designated him for assignment. Sherriff, claimed off waivers from the Tampa Bay Rays in the offseason, is coming back from a shoulder strain. ... The Phillies finalized the signings of three more draft picks: right-handers Alex McFarlane (fourth round) and Nathan Karaffa (20th round) and outfielder Emaarion Boyd (11th round). They also signed eight more undrafted free agents, including West Chester University lefty Braeden Fausnaught. ... After a day off Monday, the Phillies will open a two-game series Tuesday night in Atlanta. Nick Nelson (3-1, 3.94 ERA) will start a bullpen game against Braves rookie right-hander Spencer Strider (5-3, 2.91).