MV3 is back — Bryce Harper cleared to return
Kyle Ross, USA TODAY Sports
As was alluded to on Instagram by the man himself, Bryce Harper will return to the Phillies’ lineup as the designated hitter Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium — nearly 160 days following the surgery to reconstruct his right elbow. He has defied every established timeline.
Jeff Passan of ESPN was on it first.
Harper met with Dr. Neal ElAttrache Monday, 159 days after he performed Tommy John surgery on Harper’s right elbow. Harper has been taking live batting practice sessions and working on the field before games these last few weeks. The only obstacle that needed to be tackled before returning was getting the thumbs up to start sliding again. Obviously, he has received it.
Since signing a 13-year/$330 million deal to join the Phillies in 2019, Harper has slashed .282/.394/.546 with 101 home runs, 296 RBIs, and a .940 OPS. Harper won the 2021 NL MVP, before taking home the NLCS MVP in 2022.
He recorded a historic 2022 postseason, hitting .349/.414/.746 with 6 home runs, 13 RBIs, 13 extra-base hits, and a 1.160 OPS in 17 games. That was the last time we saw him play baseball.
The odds Harper defeated are incredible, as he is now one of the quickest to recover from this type of surgery.
The Phillies began the season 15-14 without Harper, with one last game before his return Monday night against the Dodgers.
I am so glad to hear that he was cleared to play. I can’t wait to watch him play!! The Phillies need him back and now they have him back. This is so exciting for the Phillies!! Feel free to come subscribe and look at my blog. I would really appreciate it if you could come see my blog. Here is the link to my blog… https://sophiakd4.wordpress.com.