Bryce Harper homers twice in rehab assignment debut

The thumb seems to be OK.

Bryce Harper didn’t miss a beat in his return to live baseball action, hitting two home runs and reaching base twice in five plate appearances of a rehab start at Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Tuesday night.

Harper, who had not played in a live game since fracturing his thumb against the Padres on June 25, homered in his first and last at-bat and had an active day on the base paths while taking his first step toward a potential Monday return to the Phillies lineup. Batting second as the IronPigs designated hitter, Harper crushed a slider off the Braves’ second-ranked pitching prospect in the first inning, sending the solo shot crashing high off the right-center facade at Coca-Cola Park in the first inning.

In the eighth, he hit a three-run shot in his fifth and final plate appearance.

Harper, who was scheduled to speak with reporters after the game, entered Tuesday planning on spending the week at Lehigh Valley before with Monday as a loose target for his big league return. Whether this changes anything remains to be seen. But it is certainly a positive sign for a Phillies team that entered Tuesday with a 1.5 game cushion in the Wild Card race.

» READ MORE: Phillies’ Bryce Harper will begin rehab assignment Tuesday at Lehigh Valley