When will Bryce Harper return to the Philadelphia Phillies lineup? The two-time National League MVP has been on the injured list the past two weeks with right wrist inflammation, which caused him pain while swinging a bat. He dealt with the same issue last year that he played through.
Harper has been fielding grounders and took swings from a tee on Friday for the first time since going on the shelf.
“It felt better than I thought it would,” Harper told reporters, including The Athletic’s Matt Gelb. “So I’m happy about that.”
Bryce Harper spoke with us about his wrist before tonight’s game.
— Devan Kaney (@Devan_Kaney) June 20, 2025
He said he’s talked with multiple doctors and that there is no structural issue with his wrist.
“We haven’t really got too many answers about it.” pic.twitter.com/xwLk5yBUn6
Harper also revealed that he will not need surgery on his wrist, but has not been given a reason why the inflammation returned.
“We haven’t really got too many answers about it,” Harper noted.
There’s still no timetable for Harper’s return, but Gelb reports the eight-time All-Star could possibly return next week “with a few days of good swings.”
“I was pain-free for probably four and a half months, and then it came back just randomly. So that’s always tough,” Harper said. “But those are things that we’re going to have to answer once I get going again. How many swings I’m going to take. How many times I’m going to throw a ball. It’s tough not to take those swings or do any of those things. But we’re just going to try to figure that out once we get there.”
The Phillies are 8-5 in the 13 games Harper has missed with the wrist injury. They are tied for first place in the NL East with the New York Mets as they begin a pivotal three-game series with the division rivals Friday night.
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