Phillies reinstate Bryce Harper ahead of game against San Diego Padres Monday night
The Philadelphia Phillies on Monday activated Bryce Harper from the 10-day injured list after he missed 22 games with a right wrist injury. Harper will return to the lineup, batting third, on Monday as the Phillies open a three-game series with the San Diego Padres.
Before the game, Harper said his wrist feels "way better" than it did earlier this season, but the club will have to manage it for the rest of the season. He said his recovery reached a "standstill," which was why the Phils activated him Monday.
"I didn't think that I was going to take any other steps forward in terms of feeling better or anything like that," Harper said. "I thought that we were kind of at a standstill of it feeling the same the last couple of days. And from BP to live and things like that, it kind of gave us the same results each day. So I thought today was a good one."
Harper went on the 10-day injured list on June 6. He recently traveled with the team to Atlanta and went through a workout in the morning ahead of the Phillies' game against the Braves Saturday night.
"He was great," Philadelphia manager Rob Thomson said over the weekend. "Looked like he got his bat speed and his timing looked fine."
To make room on the 26-man roster, infielder Buddy Kennedy was designated for assignment.
The 32-year-old first baseman played in 57 games for the Phillies this season before experiencing inflammation in his right wrist back in early June. Harper is slashing .258/.368/.446 with an .814 OPS, 13 doubles, nine home runs, 34 RBI, 35 walks, 32 runs scored and eight stolen bases in 253 plate appearances.
During the 2010 MLB draft, the Las Vegas native was originally selected No. 1 overall by the Washington Nationals and was later signed by the Phillies as a free agent in March 2019.
The Phils enter Monday night in first place in the NL East. This season, the club is 13-14 without Harper in its lineup.
Kennedy, who is from Millville, New Jersey, appeared in four games for Philadelphia after his contract was selected on June 19. The 26-year-old slashed .283/.388/.447 (.835 OPS) with 35 runs, 11 doubles, one triple, eight home runs, 40 RBIs and 31 walks in 61 games with Lehigh Valley this season.
The South Jersey native was originally selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks during the 2017 MLB Draft. The Phillies later acquired Kennedy from the Detroit Tigers in June 2024.
