Philadelphia Phillies: Bryce Harper to take next step toward return

The Philadelphia Phillies are coming off of a hard-fought series against the division rival New York Mets. While there’s undoubtedly disappointment around the team’s series loss, Philadelphia did receive reason to hope over the weekend as interim manager Rob Thomson informed the media that reigning NL MVP Bryce Harper would be taking batting practice in Philadelphia beginning today.

News of Harper’s return cannot come soon enough. While the team has performed remarkably well in the absence of their star, there is no denying that they are significantly a better team with the slugger in the lineup.

If batting practice goes well, Harper will not be far from making minor-league rehab appearances which would mean his return is right around the corner. The Phillies currently hold the lead in the third and final NL Wild Card spot, but they’d surely love to build upon it and perhaps even move up the standings further with a fair amount of baseball still left to be played (48 games).

With a 1.5-game lead for the final Wild Card spot, the Philadelphia Phillies have received exciting news that Bryce Harper is nearing his return.

Kyle Schwarber will soon return to the everyday lineup, and Jean Segura is already back — and in good form, slashing .296/.321/.407 in 8 games. The return of Bryce Harper — who was considered a candidate to repeat as NL MVP before his injury — to the everyday lineup will launch the Philadelphia Phillies from playoff hopeful to near-contender.

With Harper just beginning batting practice and doing so in Philadelphia, it’s clear that he will not participate in the current series in Cincinnati against the Reds. It’s also highly unlikely that Harper would play in the series to follow against the Mets despite it taking place in Philly. Harper could, however make his return after the Mets come to town when the Phillies are visited by Reds — yes, this is a very Mets/Reds-rich part of the schedule.