The Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Atlanta Braves, 13-0, on Friday night without the help of their star first baseman, Bryce Harper.
Harper has been sidelined since June 7 with right wrist inflammation. His team has experienced many ups and downs without him in the No. 3 spot in its lineup.
Philadelphia was swept by the Pittsburgh Pirates to begin the month and was swept by the Houston Astros earlier this week, scoring just one run across the three-game set.
However, the Phillies won a crucial series against their division rival, the New York Mets, last weekend, taking two of three games, overtaking New York for first place in the National League East.
Entering Saturday, they are 11-8 since Harper went down with his injury.
The good news is that the club will likely be getting the two-time NL MVP back next week.
“I think next week is definitely in play,” Harper said, via MLB.com’s Paul Casella. “But I don’t want to solidify which day or anything like that. But I’m happy with where I’m at.”
He’s scheduled to face live pitching on Saturday, despite not feeling “great” swing-wise during a live batting practice session on Friday in Atlanta. Still, he and the team seem to be satisfied with the progress he’s made physically, hence why a possible return next week is plausible.
“If you had told me three weeks ago [I’d be] where I am now, I would have said you’re kind of crazy,” Harper continued. “So I’m very happy with where I am. I’m way farther ahead than I felt like I would be. Definitely way healthier than I was a couple weeks ago.”
Much will depend on how Harper feels following the next step in his rehab on Saturday.
Harper had been slashing .258/.368/.446 with 13 doubles, nine home runs and 34 RBI in 57 games before landing on the injured list.
The Phillies return to Philadelphia on Monday for a six-game homestand that includes the San Diego Padres and Cincinnati Reds.
