Bryce Harper has been reinstated from the 10-day injured list, the Phillies announced. A roster spot for Harper was created when right-hander Hector Neris was placed on the paternity list.
Harper hit the IL due to a forearm contusion on May 25, and his activation comes as a bit of a surprise since manager Joe Girardi just said on Friday that the outfielder wasn’t yet ready to rejoin the Phillies’ lineup. Another 24 hours of treatment seems to have done the trick, however, and Harper will now get back into action.
Beyond the forearm contusion, wrist and shoulder troubles have bothered Harper this season, with the wrist problem perhaps being the biggest factor in a 2-for-25 slump for Harper prior to his IL placement. Even with that slump weighing down his numbers, Harper is still in the midst of a tremendous season, hitting .274/.395/.489 with seven home runs over 162 plate appearances.
Harper’s return brings an enormous boost to a Philadelphia squad that is still missing Didi Gregorius and Scott Kingery to injury, while Roman Quinn is out for the season due to a ruptured Achilles tendon. Brad Miller has handled most of the right field duties in Harper’s absence, and the utilityman might now be shifted over to shortstop or third base.
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