Bryce Harper's Comments Don't Inspire Confidence He'll Return for Phillies Soon

The Philadelphia Phillies lost their second consecutive game for the first time since April 23 and 25.

It's been an incredible run for the Phillies during the month of May which has them sitting with the best record in the National League entering Saturday's action.

But if they're going to stop this skid to prevent just their second three-game losing streak of the season, then it seems like they'll have to do it without Bryce Harper.

The superstar slugger has been out of action since he was hit in the first at-bat of the Atlanta Braves series that began on Tuesday with a 95 mph fastball on his surgically-repaired elbow.

Even with the day off on Wednesday because of a rain out, he was not in the lineup for either game of Thursday's doubleheader, and he didn't return on Friday for the first contest against the Milwaukee Brewers.

X-rays came back negative, so there is no structural damage. But while that is a good sign, Harper had some ominous comments about what his timetable for return might look like.

"Still super sore," he said Friday, per NBC Sports Philadelphia. "Obviously doing treatment. Not sure when I'm gonna play again. He hit me in a pretty bad spot. The swelling's gone down, which is good, but it's a pretty tough spot where he got me. Just trying to be smart about it."

Both Harper and manager Rob Thomson said they don't believe the slugger will need a stint on the injured list, but he also didn't take any swings on Friday before the game, which is a concerning sign.

However, there is good news.

Harper did field work where he took ground balls and flipped them to first base while also throwing in the outfield.

At the very least, it's positive that he was out doing that type of action even if he didn't swing the bat.

This will be a wait and see situation.

Philadelphia is not going to rush him back if he's not 100% ready to go, especially right now with the calendar not even in the month of June just yet.

If the Phillies and Harper believe he does need more time to get right, then there's a chance he gets placed on the injured list to give the team another rosterable player while he recovers.

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