Phillies won’t place Bryce Harper on 60-day IL, Dombrowski says originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The Phillies haven’t given a firm timetable on Bryce Harper‘s return from Tommy John surgery other than some time around the All-Star break in mid-July.
There were early indications that Harper could return sooner than that, potentially in June or early July, but the team and player have been cautious to provide a specific date because of the way different bodies heal, the possibility of a setback and the relative rarity of Tommy John surgery for a position player.
Interestingly, Dave Dombrowski said on the 94WIP Morning Show Tuesday that the Phillies will not place Harper on the 60-day injured list, at least not yet. Doing so would prohibit him from returning until at least May 29.
This doesn’t necessarily mean Harper will be back earlier than May 29, but the Phillies are at least considering the possibility as of now.
“The way we look at this, we’re not going to put him on the emergency injured list which would keep him out until May 29 because we’re going to keep our options open that hopefully he comes back,” the Phillies’ president of baseball operations told Joe DeCamara and Jon Ritchie. “If you put him on, that means for sure he’s not (back before May 29). But at least you want to keep your options open in that case.
“He’s doing great. He’s progressing, swinging the bat without pain, so he’s taking all the steps. I think in our situation, we continually say we anticipate him before the All-Star Game, which we think will happen. Do I hope that he comes back before that? Sure, no question about it.”
Whether the Phillies think there’s a 5 percent chance Harper returns before Memorial Day or a 50 percent chance, they face no urgency to place him on the 60-day injured list either way. They can do so at any point and backdate the 60-day IL stint to opening day, March 30. The only benefit of doing so would be to free up a spot on the 40-man roster, but that’s only a consideration if the Phillies feel they need to add someone who’s not currently on it. One such player is Rule 5 pick Noah Song. Scott Kingery could be another if he does something to really force the Phillies’ hand. But even in that case, there are trimmable players on the 40-man roster like pitcher James McArthur or whichever reliever from the Erich Uelmen-Andrew Vasquez-Luis Ortiz group is lowest in that tier.
When Harper does return, it will be as the Phillies’ designated hitter….