ALLENTOWN, Pa. – Will he or won’t he?
Phillies superstar Bryce Harper, who sent Allentown into a frenzy with a rehab appearance last summer, might skip a trip to the Lehigh Valley IronPigs this time around as he recovers from Tommy John surgery.
That was the word Saturday from Phillies Manager Rob Thompson, who reportedly said Harper may not require a minor-league rehab assignment before his return.
- Bryce Harper might not return to Allentown for a minor-league rehab assignment
- The news comes as Harper works his way back from Tommy John surgery
- Last summer, Harper went 5-for-8 with 2 doubles, 2 home runs, 2 walks, and 6 RBI in two games with the IronPigs.
According to Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Thompson said, “I really don’t know if he [Harper] will go on assignment.”
“I mean, if he's swinging the bat well and he feels good, I say why waste it?"
The article also quoted Harper as saying, “It’s good talent down there. It’s nothing against that at all. But big-league talent’s a little bit different. A big-league game is a little bit different. The more big-league talent I get to see, the better it’s going to be for me.”
The twist comes as Harper reportedly also is working out at first base in an attempt to speed his recovery.
The right fielder approached Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski with the idea and it was “full go,” the Athletic reported last week.
According to that report, Thompson said he expects Harper to work out daily at first base with infield coach Bobby Dickerson.
Harper has just two big league appearances at first base in 11 seasons. He hasn’t played there since 2021.
One game, two ‘Bryce bombs’
The two-time National League MVP kicked off his brief stay in the Lehigh Valley last summer with a home run in his first at-bat.
Harper’s second at-bat brought a walk, but later in the game he launched another homer.
The next night, he hit a walk-off, two-run double in the bottom of the ninth inning as the IronPigs rallied from four runs down to beat Gwinnett.
READ: A Triple-A team with a Single-A attitude': The IronPigs celebrate 15 years in Allentown
Harper was in the area at that time to rehab from a broken thumb, and served only as the IronPigs’ designated hitter.
Harper began taking on-field batting practice a few weeks ago, but the potential move to first comes after Phillies first baseman Rhys Hoskins went down with a torn ACL and will miss the season.
Darick Hall, who started five of the first six games at first in Hoskins’ absence, recently had surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb and is expected to be sidelined for two months.
Hall was in and out of Allentown last season and is expected to begin his rehab in Clearwater, the Phillies said.
Harper, meanwhile, reportedly is using a system called Trajekt Arc — a video projection system that is fully programmable and can replicate the pitch selection and deliveries of specific major league pitchers. It's a big part of why he may skip a rehab assignment in Allentown.
Harper heroics
Back in March, IronPigs General Manager Kurt Landes said there hadn’t been any specific discussions about Harper rehabbing this season at Coca-Cola Park, but he was anticipating it could happen.
“At some point, you would think they'd want to get him in a position to actually take some live at bats, much like they did last year, because you can do those things in the [batting] cage and it certainly is helpful for repetition and muscle atrophy and so forth,” Landes said.
“But to actually step in with a full ballpark, and live pitching in game situations, those things are priceless. So it's hard to believe that he wouldn't make an appearance again.”
The IronPigs sold 7,000 tickets in a 24-hour span after Harper's rehab appearance last summer officially was announced. He was slated to play five games in Allentown, but played just two — going 5-for-8 with two doubles, two home runs, two walks, and six RBI.
Following his game-winning double, he was mobbed by his IronPigs teammates.
Landes previously said there was a small spike in ticket sales for IronPigs games scheduled just prior to the Major League All-Star break in July — once estimated to mark the time frame Harper could return.
The IronPigs said Friday they were anticipating a huge bump in ticket sales again should Harper come back to Allentown.
