Bryce Harper returns to Phillies in record time after Tommy John surgery

Bryce Harper was supposed to be a second-half addition, a potent boost to a Philadelphia Phillies lineup determined to stay in contention even as their MVP was shelved following reconstructive elbow surgery.

Instead, Harper will return this week – thanks to a stunning recovery that will get him back in the lineup barely five months after Tommy John surgery.

Harper announced his return - in so many words - on Instagram Monday afternoon, posting a series of photos in full uniform with the caption "Aye Pham. You ready?" The proclamation came the same day Harper was to visit his Los Angeles-based surgeon, Neal ElAttrache, for a final clearance before the club activated him for Tuesday’s game at Dodger Stadium.

It will be a massive boost for the Phillies, who have gone 15-14 in Harper’s absence but have little margin for error in a cutthroat National League East.

A look at how Harper, the 2021 NL MVP, made it back and the impact of his return:

All things Phillies: Latest Philadelphia Phillies news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.

MLB SALARIES: Highest-paid outfielders in 2023

2023 MLB SALARIES: Database of every player on the opening day roster

Fast healer

Harper’s surgery was a pill the Phillies knew they had to swallow once he was diagnosed with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in May 2022, after which rest and plasma rich platelet injections failed to heal the tear. Yet since Harper’s main job description is slugger, not pitcher, he was able to play through the injury, with mixed results: He posted an .877 OPS and hit 18 homers in 99 games as the Phillies’ designated hitter.

That was followed by an epic postseason in which he hit six home runs, including a pennant-winning three-run shot in Game 5 of the NL Championship Series, followed by a home run in his first World Series at-bat at Citizens Bank Park.

But the Phillies didn’t sign Harper, 30, to a 13-year, $330 million deal to not play the field. So Harper underwent Tommy John surgery in November, a couple weeks after the Phillies’ six-game loss to the Houston Astros in the World Series.

Again, Tommy John recovery is far more advantageous for hitters– they don’t need to build up strength to throw 100-plus pitches a game, don’t have to rebuild their pitching mechanics nor face the uncertainty of how effective they might be following a tedious, year-plus recovery.

Still, it generally requires at least six months for the repaired ligament to be safe from the intense torque, the starts and stops and impact of a swing that might produce a 115-mph line drive.

The All-Star break in mid-July seemed a realistic timeframe. Until Harper shrunk it.

Don’t count him out

An early return seemed possible when the Phillies opted not to place Harper on the 60-day injured list – and gain the extra 40-man roster spot – by Opening Day. That left the door open for a return by the end of May, though club president Dave Dombrowski cautioned not to read too much into it.

Harper just kept smashing expectations.

Rather than rehab in private, Harper has been with the Phillies almost the entire ride, from spring training in Clearwater, Florida to their opening road trip of the season. By April 5, he was taking batting practice on the field at Yankee Stadium, taking grounders at first base, playing catch from 60 feet.

Last week, he began taking live batting practice against minor-league pitchers, and with the Phillies opting against a rehab assignment, these pregame sessions will be the extent of his prep before digging into the Dodger Stadium batter’s box on Tuesday.

When he does, that will mark the fastest recorded return – just 160 days - of a major league position player from Tommy John surgery, according to a 2018 study in the Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery cited by The Athletic. Former infielder Tony Womack returned in 182 days in 2004.

The Phillies will certainly welcome the accelerated timeline.

Go time

Harper’s elbow woes began at a particularly inopportune time – just weeks after the Phillies signed sluggers Nick Castellanos ($100 million) and Kyle Schwarber ($79 million) to multiyear deals in spring 2022. They made it work, wedging Schwarber into left field while Castellanos made big improvements – and eventually some huge postseason plays – in right.

But even as the club added $300 million shortstop Trea Turner this winter, they suffered another setback: First baseman Rhys Hoskins suffered a torn ACL at the end of spring training and his replacement, Darick Hall, a torn thumb ligament. That’s forced bench players like Edmundo Sosa, Jake Cave and Josh Harrison into regular duty.

Harper’s return will curtail much of that, with Schwarber and Castellanos vacating occasional DH duty to lope back to the outfield. Eventually, Harper’s elbow may enable him to play first this season, shifting Alec Bohm back to third.

But his bat will be greatly welcomed immediately for a club that won seven of 10 entering Monday.

Harper will give Philly five All-Star sluggers atop the lineup, and greater flexibility to deploy Turner in front of Harper atop the lineup, or behind him in the No. 3 hole. Second-year shortstop Bryson Stott has been solid (.317/.344/.423) in a leadoff role, but it greatly lessens the pressure on him to stay there.

The Phillies have done OK without Harper, their .771 OPS ranking sixth in the majors as center fielder Brandon Marsh enjoys a potential breakout campaign. But their 126 runs scored ranks 15^th; if getting them on has gone smoothly, Harper will greatly help to get ‘em in.

Far sooner than anyone anticipated.