‘You prepared?’: Harper cleared to return 160 days after Tommy John

Manager Rob Thomson introduced on Monday that Harper has been cleared to play following a Monday morning appointment with orthopedist Dr. Neal ElAttrache, who carried out Harper’s Tommy John surgical procedure on Nov. 23. Thomson mentioned Harper might be within the Phillies’ lineup on Tuesday evening towards the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium as a delegated hitter. The Phillies wished to offer Harper a day due to a busy schedule on Monday.

The announcement completes a remarkably speedy restoration from a surgical procedure that usually takes for much longer to bounce again from. Harper alerted everyone to the excellent news with an Instagram submit.

The Phillies mentioned in November that they hoped Harper might be again by the All-Star break in July. It was a purposefully conservative timeline. Sources mentioned then that Harper seemingly would return a lot earlier. June, possibly.

But May 2? Nobody anticipated that.

But there was a purpose the Phillies by no means positioned Harper on the 60-day injured checklist, permitting the chance that the 30-year-old might return earlier than the top of May. Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski mentioned in March that “I have no idea what’s going to happen. But I don’t want to close that option. Because if I put him on [the 60-day IL], it’s closed.”

Thomson on Sunday mentioned Harper might return throughout the workforce’s collection towards Los Angeles. It will occur with out Harper taking a single at-bat in a rehab task. Harper as an alternative has been going through dwell pitching for weeks, from rehabbing huge leaguers like Ranger Suárez and Nick Nelson to Minor Leaguers, in addition to going through a high-tech pitching machine at Citizens Bank Park.

The Phillies went 15-14 in March and April, taking part in with out the 2021 NL MVP.