Phillies' Bryce Harper Might Skip Rehab Assignment After Elbow Injury, Manager Says

A Triple-A rehab assignment for Bryce Harper this spring seems logical given the fact that he hasn't played a big league game since October after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

However, that may not be the case, according to Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson.

"I really don't know if he will go on an assignment," Thomson said Saturday, per Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

He added: "I mean, if he's swinging the bat well and he feels good, I say why waste it?"

Harper previously told the Inquirer that he believed he could get in the reps necessary to get back up to speed without having to play in Triple-A.

"At that point, I just need to get back," Harper said. "It's good talent down there. It's nothing against that at all. But big league talent's a little bit different. A big league game is a little bit different. The more big league talent I get to see, the better it's going to be for me."

Harper underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow in November and has been taking batting practice without restrictions for the past two and a half weeks, per Lauber. He's scheduled to face Ranger Suárez in a simulated game Tuesday.

There's no specific timeline for Harper to return to the field, but he's planning to play first base later this season in hopes of returning to the field sooner than if he played right field.

"That just tells you something about Harp," Thomson told The Athletic before Wednesday's loss to the Miami Marlins. "The team guy that he is. He wants to play."

Harper added: "If I can give them whatever they want from first base, or right field, or whatever it is—not just this year, but going forward—it gives us an opportunity. Whatever it is. Whatever they want. It gives them the option to do that."

The Phillies are in desperate need of a first baseman because of injuries to Rhys Hoskins and Darick Hall. Harper has no big league experience at first base, but his agent, Scott Boras, said back in 2018 that the veteran "takes ground balls there all the time in the offseason" and that he "can help a team in many ways."

After reaching the World Series in 2022, Philadelphia has had a rough start to the 2023 campaign without Harper. The team entered Saturday's game against the Cincinnati Reds fourth in the National League East with a 5-9 record.

Considering the team's unexpectedly slow start, it's no surprise Harper likely won't see any time in Triple A—the Phillies need his bat back in the lineup as soon as possible.

In 99 games last season, the two-time MVP slashed .286/.364/.514 with 18 home runs and 65 RBI.