Bryce Harper will try to swing a bat in the Phillies’ indoor cages Saturday afternoon for the first time since being hit on the right elbow by a 95 mph Spencer Strider fastball on Tuesday.
He’ll also try to throw. Harper took grounders on the field before Friday’s series opener against the Brewers but was limited to underhand flips to first base.
“It’s really bruised today, the bruising has started to come,” manager Rob Thomson said Saturday. “The swelling is down a little bit.”
Thomson reiterated that he still doesn’t think Harper will need time on the injured list. Saturday was the fourth straight game Harper has missed and it is unclear if he’ll be able to return to the lineup on Sunday. An IL stint can be backdated by a maximum of three days.
Still, Thomson said he doesn’t think the Phils will have to make a decision one way or another by Sunday. If Harper still isn’t ready then but the potential exists that he could play in Toronto Tuesday through Thursday, the Phillies could just play a man short on their bench for another game or two. It’s not ideal but neither would be IL-ing Harper and having him miss time on the back end unnecessarily.
Kyle Schwarber fielded grounders at first base on Friday. That wasn’t a coincidence.
“Every once in a while he does,” Thomson said. “He’s ramping it up a little bit because of the Harper situation, we don’t really know where we’re at with that.”
Schwarber last played first base in the 2021 postseason with the Red Sox, though he did spend 24 innings there this spring to better prepare him in case of a Harper injury.
No rotation news yet
Thomson had nothing to divulge about the Phillies’ rotation on Saturday but said an update would come Sunday.
Taijuan Walker allowed four runs in four innings in a loss Friday as right-hander Mick Abel continued his strong run at Triple A. Abel has a 1.08 ERA over his last seven starts, six at Triple A and one in the majors.
Optioned to Lehigh Valley on May 19, Abel is eligible to be called back up to the majors in time for his next start, if the Phillies so choose. The next time Walker’s rotation spot comes up is Thursday in Toronto but the Phillies could also push that start back to Saturday in Pittsburgh because of an off-day Monday.
Aaron Nola (right ankle sprain) is the other element in this equation. Nola will throw 45-to-50 pitches in a bullpen session Sunday. If it goes well, he could face hitters in live batting practice later in the week, potentially Friday. The step after that would be a rehab assignment, which might last only a start or two. Two more weeks seems realistic for Nola.
Walker will be shifted back to the bullpen for the duration of the season once Nola is ready to return. If the Phillies go with Abel the next turn through, they’d only be speeding up that transition by 1-2 starts.
There’s no guarantee Walker will work out as a reliever but the Phillies’ bullpen would welcome the boost. In two relief appearances this season, Walker has allowed two earned runs and five baserunners in six innings with nine strikeouts.
“My goal is to help any way I can,” Walker said Friday night. “I’m pretty confident in my stuff.
“If I have one inning to blow it out, whatever it is, I feel like my stuff would play up just a little bit more. Knowing that I’ve got one inning, just let it eat.”
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