Phillies OF Bryce Harper will not be placed on 60-day IL

Updated Mar 21, 2023 2:39 pm ET

The Philadelphia Phillies will not be placing Bryce Harper on the 60-day injured list, according to president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski. 

The star outfielder underwent Tommy John surgery following the team's World Series run in 2022, and was expected to return around mid-July, but Philly's announcement indicates he could be back before May 29. 

"He’s doing great," Dombrowski said on Philadelphia radio station 94.1 WIP. "It’s really a situation where he is doing very well. I think in our situation we continually say that 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. 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 he’ll come back.

"We’ll at least be in a position where you, because if you put him on (60-day injured list), that means he’s not coming back for sure until after [May 29]," he said. "But at least you want to keep your options open at that case. … The one thing you never know about is setbacks with these types of things. So that’s why having a specific time date is always very difficult."

Harper had an injury-riddled season last year for the Phillies. He didn't play a game in the outfield after April 16 after hurting his elbow, and he also missed two months with a broken thumb. Nonetheless, his numbers at the plate were stellar per usual: He hit 286/.364/.514 (145 OPS+) with 18 big flies.

He hit six homers and 13 RBI to complement a .349 batting average and 1.160 OPS in 17 postseason contests, winning the NLCS MVP award. 

Placing Harper on the DL would clear a spot on Philly's 40-man roster, but according to Dombrowkski, the team is not yet ready to rule him out for substantial time.

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