Tommy John surgery usually knocks out MLB players for around a year. For Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Bryce Harper, he could return in half the time.
The Philadelphia Phillies were just two wins away from winning the World Series last season, but ultimately fell to the Houston Astros.
In the offseason, it was determined that star outfielder Bryce Harper, who powered the Phillies through the postseason, needed to undergo Tommy John surgery on his right elbow back on Nov. 23. Usually, a return from such a procedure takes around a year. But for Harper, he is close to returning at around the six month mark.
Harper has a doctor’s appointment scheduled in Los Angeles in early May which will determine if he can be cleared to play. If he does, it’s quite possible that Harper could play in the the first weekend of that month.
As Matt Gelb of The Athletic points out, if Harper were to return on May 5 for the team’s game against the Boston Red Sox, it would be 163 days since his surgery, which would be the quickest return from Tommy John by a major league player.
Bryce Harper could return in early May from Tommy John surgery
If Harper were to return, he would not be in the outfield. Rather, manager Rob Thomson said that it is likely he will be in designated hitter.
“If we get clearance from the doctor, then we’ll see when he can start DHing,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson told the media on Thursday, h/t The Athletic. “But it shouldn’t be too far after that.”
Considering the severity of the surgery, it really is remarkable that Harper would be able to return this quickly. Harper had torn the UCL in his right elbow last April, but he was still able to play through it. The only time he missed was due to a broken left thumb last June, where he missed two months.
Last year, Harper recorded a .286 batting average, a .364 on-base percentage, a .514 slugging percentage, 18 home runs, 63 runs scored, 65 RBI and 106 hits in 99 regular-season games. In Philadelphia’s 17 postseason games, Harper slashed .349/.414/.746 while recording six home runs, 12 runs scored, 13 RBI and 22 hits.
With the Phillies sitting at 8-12 on the year entering Friday, the fanbase will without a doubt be paying attention to early May to find out if Harper will be able to return. If he does return, it would be a historic one.