May 17, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies infielder Bryce Harper (3) warms up against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the fourth inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
Bryce Harper spoke prior to Monday's game against the San Diego Padres after being activated from the injured list. There was an optimism from the two-time NL MVP, but it was also hard to walk away from his meeting with the media feeling like the right wrist inflammation that sidelined him for much of June is 100% in the past.
When Harper was asked why today made sense to return from the injured list, he gave an answer that left you feeling like it was determined that the wrist is as good as it's going to get during the season.
"I didn't think I was going to take any other steps forward of feeling better or anything like that," Harper admitted. "I thought we were kind of at a standstill of feeling the same the last couple days ... from BP to live and stuff like that. Kinda gave us the same results each day, so I thought today was a good one."
Bryce Harper explains why today was the day to return.
(Via @TimKellySports) pic.twitter.com/Qby0awzLIC
When asked shortly after about whether Harper's wrist will have to be managed for the remainder of the season, manager Rob Thomson seemed a little confused by the phrasing that a reporter used to relay what Harper said.
"I don't know what that means, 'progress is at a standstill,'" Thomson acknowledged.
Harper, the reporter noted, used the word "standstill" and didn't seem to think that missing any additional time would make him feel better than he does right now.
"It sounds like he's fine to me," Thomson said. "So we're just going to have to monitor him every day when he comes in."
This was, according to Thomson, a decision that was a few days in the making.
"It was probably more on Saturday after he was done the BP," Thomson said. "He felt really good. The timing looked good. The bat speed looked good. And then I said, 'Alright, well let's check in tomorrow.' And he said he recovered great. I said, 'Alright, we'll check on Monday, and if we're good to go, we're good to go."
The Phillies will face Manny Machado and the San Diego Padres this week.
Since Bryce Harper and Manny Machado signed their contracts in 2019, who has been better? Let's take a look at the numbers: pic.twitter.com/KG76FvMdlx
The good news for Harper is that he says his wrist is healthier now than it was down the stretch of last season when it bothered him, or when it reached the point that he had to go on the IL in early June.
"It feels better," Harper said. "It feels way better than where I was three weeks ago, four weeks ago. So I'm happy with where we are. Ultimately, it's going to come down to how I feel each day. ... I know we have Thursday's all the way until the middle of August off, so that'll be good for it. I'm just not sure yet. Like I said, it's been at a standstill the last couple days of feeling good, so hopefully it stays there."
Thomson will be keeping an eye not only on the wrist, but his lower body as he eases back into game action.
"It's not only his wrist, it's his legs too," Thomson said. "Because you can do all the conditioning you want, but once you get out on the field ... [if] he hits four doubles tonight, we gotta check his legs tomorrow."
It's not out of the question that the Phillies do something like have Harper play the first two games against the Padres and then sit Wednesday afternoon, but Thomson pointed to the off day Thursday as a built in way to slowly have Harper build back up. There's also the All-Star Break later this month, and as Harper noted, the Phillies don't have another game on a Thursday until Aug. 14.
Bryce Harper talked about his bond with Manny Machado, who was in the same draft and free agent class as him. Their connection goes back even further than that.
(Via @TimKellySports) pic.twitter.com/zQCZlCoAaK
As far as the potential for reaggravation, no declarative statements were made Monday guaranteeing that the right wrist won't flare up again.
"Well, I think there's always concern for everyone when they play hard," Thomson said. "But this is something that's come up twice now. So do I think it's never gonna come up again? I can't tell you that."
For his part, though, Harper said he's not going to play in fear of the next time he feels pain in his wrist.
"I'm just gonna play my game and go out there and do my thing," Harper said. "I can't really worry about that. If I hurt it, it hurts, you know what I'm saying? Not really worried about that now, I feel great going into today, so I'm happy with where I am."
