The Philadelphia Phillies are currently facing another injury issue with their star first baseman Bryce Harper. He's been on the injured list since June 6, and it's the same wrist discomfort he faced for most of last season, but was able to play through until it subsided in the offseason.
Harper also spent time on the IL this year due to an elbow contusion from a hit-by-pitch, but only needed five days rest before the wrist injury reared its ugly head once again. The good news is, Harper has been progressing and getting closer to a return.
Bryce Harper's injury update is great news, but it doesn't mean there's a timetable for his return
Even though the Phillies have been winning without him, they're a better team with him on the field than not. Per Matt Gelb of The Athletic, there is some light at the end of this injury tunnel as it was announced on Tuesday that Harper was able to do his "full routine" when exercising ahead of the series opener in Houston. The caveat is, no timetable has been set for Harper to return to the lineup.
Bryce Harper (wrist) is doing his “full routine” today. Everyone is reporting good progress; the club remains vague on a timetable. They haven’t ruled out a return this weekend in Atlanta, but next week sounds more realistic.
— Matt Gelb (@MattGelb) June 24, 2025
The injury is a sensitive one for Harper. It's much different than a hamstring that he faced last year or even getting struck in the elbow. The wrist for a player such as Harper, carries a great amount of stress with how aggressive his swing is through an entire season, including crucial games in October.
Per MLB.com's Paul Casella, this time is different and needed to be addressed. Harper explained what drove to him sitting this time around.
"When I came back and I was feeling the pain, it just wasn't a pain I could tolerate on the field," Harper said last week, per Casella. "I understand what I can tolerate and what I can't. I've played through pain in my career -- I think everybody has at some point, right? So when I can play through the pain, I do, but it got to the point where I just couldn't do it."
They have been building up Harper incrementally, which is why it was great to see him taking more swings as of late, per Lochlahn March of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Bryce Harper has continued to ramp up. He will do his full routine today: about 50 swings, take ground balls, and throw. He may do BP in the cage tomorrow. Rob Thomson said he doesn’t think Harper will be activated in Houston.
— Lochlahn March (@lochlahn) June 24, 2025
The Phillies are being cautious, as they should be with their expensive star. They would rather not wait any longer than they have to, but to have this potentially come back up later in the season or even the postseason, would be detrimental to the club and its World Series aspirations. Harper wasn't exactly tearing the cover off the ball before he was sidelined. In 57 games this season, he's batting .258/.368/.446, good for a .814 OPS. He also only has nine home runs and 34 RBIs so far. It's quite possible that this injury has zapped a lot of the power from his bat.
Harper is the last person who wants to get hit with the "chronically injured" moniker, but to his credit, some of his time missed in the past has been fluky and completely unavoidable. The wrist is different though and will be something for the Phillies and Harper to monitor going forward. Per Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia, it was unlikely he would return for the Houston series, so the wait will continue. If it just takes another week or two to put it behind them and Phillies fans, the patience will be well worth the wait.