May 23, 2025; West Sacramento, California, USA; Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper (3) reacts after being hit by a pitch in the eighth inning against the Athletics at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Lee-Imagn Images
PHILADELPHIA - Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
Repeat that 20 times. That's the sound of a bat hitting a baseball off a tee. If you were anywhere near the batting cage at Citizens Bank Park on Friday afternoon, and you heard that sound, there's a good chance the person behind it was Bryce Harper.
For the first time since going on the injured list with inflammation in his right wrist two weeks ago in Pittsburgh, Harper swung an actual bat and hit baseballs.
He took 20 dry swings before that. He also took 20 dry swings on Thursday. He ran around in the outfield. He threw baseballs 75 feet. He took ground balls at first base. The plan is for him to follow the same routine on Saturday.
Bryce Harper did dry swings and hit off the tee for the first time today. He gave an update on his right wrist afterwards.
(Via @TimKellySports) pic.twitter.com/NowcPKwz4T
"I felt good," Harper said. "It felt better than I thought it would, so I'm happy about that."
So, he's close to returning?
"I don't know," he said. "I have to see how it feels tomorrow, let it rest, and then start to ramp it up and see where I am."
Which means....?
"I hope the pain gets out of there," he said. "I don't want to play in pain at all. I think that's something that we'll see as that comes around, but hopefully it can get out of there and stay out of there.
"Wrist injuries are tough. ... We haven't gotten too many answers about it. It's been pretty sporadic getting answers. There's a lot of inflammation in there. ... There's no structural issues. I won't need surgery or anything like that. We've talked to a lot of doctors and things, but it's just a lot of inflammation in there. "
So, we really don't know much more today than before the Phillies went to Miami?
"I don't have a timetable yet," manager Rob Thomson said.
Great.
One thing Thomson was sure about though is that when Harper is ramping up to come back, he will not go out on a rehab assignment.
"No chance," Thomson said.
Rob Thomson said Bryce Harper is feeling good as of now. Harper threw and hit off of the tee today. They do not have a specific timeline.
When asked if Bryce would go on a rehab assignment: “no chance” pic.twitter.com/UYslTyeTnq
In the interim, there'll be a lot of Otto Kemp and Buddy Kennedy at first base. Kennedy will play against lefties with Kemp shifting to left field.
The Phillies are starting a gauntlet on their schedule of playing winning baseball teams. Beginning Friday against the Mets, 18 of the next 21 games the Phillies play are against teams with winning records, and the three that aren't are in Atlanta against a Braves team that looked a lot more like the team many expected them to be this week when they swept the Mets.
If we're playing a guessing game, the Phillies will have to play most, if not all of them without Harper.
But Harper has been known to just suddenly be ready to come back from injury unannounced before, so who knows?
"I don't want to be sitting here missing games," Harper said. "I'm pretty jealous. Friday night at the Bank against the Mets - it's always a fun atmosphere. Their fans usually come in and we get pretty rowdy."
And he's going to have to watch it from the sidelines. For an indeterminate amount of time.
