Inside Bryce Harper’s remarkable return to the Philadelphia Phillies
Midway through spring training, Bryce Harper paused in front of his locker in the Philadelphia Phillies‘ clubhouse in Clearwater, Florida, and discussed his rehabilitation from an elbow reconstruction. Harper nodded his head as a reporter mentioned the haunting tales of players who pushed beyond the recommendation of their doctors and suffered setbacks, lengthening the time for their respective recoveries from Tommy John surgery. Harper had heard some of those stories and recognized the potential pitfalls, and he said he was carefully following the advice of doctors and trainers.
But all the while, Harper had a goal for his return date, as he mentioned to reporters Monday, shortly before he was cleared to return to action by the doctor who performed his surgery, Neal ElAttrache. His hope was that he would be back in the Phillies’ lineup to play against the Los Angeles Dodgers, in L.A., in the first week of May. “I kind of looked at this series in the offseason, to put my head where I needed to be,” Harper said. “Understanding that I need to take it one day at a time, understanding that we can have setbacks even if you feel great. But I wanted … to work toward something.”
Harper’s vision quest will manifest later today, when, remarkably, he is expected back in the Phillies’ lineup just 160 days after his surgery. It’s believed to be the quickest recovery, by far, for a position player after an elbow reconstruction. He’ll initially serve as designated hitter in his first games back in action, but the Phillies are very comfortable with the idea of using him at first base in the weeks ahead.
David Dombrowski, the head of baseball operations for the Phillies, said over the phone Monday afternoon that Harper was “diligent” in following the directions of ElAttrache and the professionals who guided him through his rehabilitation. “He followed their protocol step by step, always made the medical checkups,” Dombrowski said. “He’s been fantastic in that regard.”
According to Jon Roegele’s database of players who’ve gone through Tommy John surgery, the previous quickest position player to return from the operation was former infielder Tony Womack, 182 days after the procedure. Jay Buhner returned after 207 days, and Carl Crawford, at 221 days, was the third quickest.
There’s an inherent temptation for an elite athlete, Crawford said in an interview, to believe that you are the exception to any rehabilitation timeline, and that you can push through faster than anybody else, that you can do more than what the doctors are telling you. That belief in self is part of what separated Crawford, a four-time All-Star outfielder, and what separates Harper, a two-time winner of the MVP Award.
“You just have to be careful, because you want to move it [quickly],” Crawford said. “Especially as a super athlete. But you can’t do that. You have to work with the doctors, doing all the exercises they give you. Whatever program they gave me, I stayed on top of it. I didn’t mess mine up, I didn’t have any setbacks.”
By all accounts, Harper was extremely disciplined through his rehabilitation, and along the way, neither did he. Initially, the expectation was that Harper would be out until sometime in midseason. At the time he had the surgery, some sources indicated that he might be back around the All-Star break; later, that became June. Dombrowski said the Phillies were still working on the timeline when Harper arrived in Florida, deferring to medical advice and guidelines. But shortly after Harper joined the Phillies in Clearwater, it seemed possible he might be back sooner than initially thought. “He was swinging so well, and he was not having any pain,” Dombrowski said. “We didn’t put any expectations on it … but we were optimistic. I can’t say we knew anything.”
Because of Harper’s progress, the Phillies made the decision on the eve of the regular season not to place him on the 60-day injured list, the first tangible sign that the team thought Harper might be back in May rather than June or July. Scott Boras, Harper’s agent, outlined in a text message why he thought Harper rebounded quickly. “Harp has genius healing factors, and his strength and bat speed are always MLB Centurion elite,” Boras wrote. “Skill and power wise, he is just far from normal.”
Harper loves to play, Boras wrote, and “he would crush his toothbrush every morning he couldn’t play. That boy’s desire to play ball is embodied in his player DNA.”
If his return to the lineup had been dependent on Harper returning to the outfield — as it was for Crawford — then Harper’s debut might have come later. During the spring, Harper began taking ground balls at first base, an idea that he first raised with Dombrowski after Rhys Hoskins suffered a season-ending knee injury March 23.
And even before that, the NL’s adoption of the designated hitter — a rule that Harper acknowledged last year he had never really liked — has streamlined the preparation for his return. “The hitting process doesn’t require an overhand motion,” Boras said, “so he was able to swing just months after the process.”
After Harper went through simulated game action as a hitter Sunday in Houston, he deftly fielded grounders hit by infield coach Bobby Dickerson, with Dickerson reminding Harper a couple of times to keep his glove and attack the ball out in front of him. Some of the team staffers believe Harper has the instincts to excel in the infield, because of his history as an amateur catcher and his sense of timing. When Dombrowski asked Dickerson last month whether Harper could play first, Dickerson was quick in his response: Yes, he could. “When?” Dombrowski asked.
“Right now,” Dickerson replied.
Some of the throws Harper will make at first base could be made from angles different from those he has made as an outfielder — like trying to throw over the head of a would-be base-stealer to the second baseman, or charging a bunt and throwing to third. But Harper will not often be involved in plays that would require throwing as hard as he is used to — or as far — because of the nature of the position. Outfielders are sometimes clocked making throws over 90 mph, but so far this year, according to MLB.com’s Sarah Langs, there have been only 10 throws of 80+ mph this season by all first basemen combined.
Rival evaluators note that Harper has a complicated swing, and in his career, he has worked through extended slumps. While the Phillies have transported minor league pitchers to work in simulated games with Harper, and though he has looked comfortable in his swings, it might take him a while to regain his timing. Harper suffered a broken thumb last June when he was hit by a pitch from San Diego Padres lefty Blake Snell, and after he returned Aug. 26, he batted .227 in his last 35 games in the regular season, with a .325 on-base percentage and just three homers.
But in the postseason, Harper regained his swing, blasting six homers in 17 games, including the memorable eighth-inning shot against the Padres that effectively launched the Phillies into the World Series.
Even then, there was concern within the Phillies’ organization that Harper would need elbow surgery and the team would lose him for most of 2023. Instead, after a historic recovery, he’s repaired, rehabbed and already ready to go.
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Ryan S. Clark
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Kristen Shilton
There’s an ancient South Florida proverb about numbers: Not one. Not two. Not three. Not four.
Opening the Eastern Conference finals with five goals in Game 1 on Tuesday showed that at least for one game the Florida Panthers could find a breakthrough against the Carolina Hurricanes. Only for Thursday to arrive and the Panthers to once again post five more goals in a 5-0 win to take a 2-0 series lead before heading back to Sunrise for Game 3.
How did both teams perform? Who are the players to watch next game, and what are the big questions facing the Hurricanes and Panthers ahead of Game 3 on Saturday?
Say what you will about the offside goal being akin to Charlie Brown getting the football pulled out from under him by Lucy. While it’s possible that the disallowed goal could have provided momentum, there were other things that suggested the Hurricanes were going to struggle.
Under Rod Brind’Amour, they’ve become one of the teams that consistently generates the highest number of shots per game. They entered Game 2 averaging 33.2 shots per game, yet they hadn’t even cracked double digits until there was 14 minutes remaining in the third period. Natural Stat Trick’s metrics showed they had two high-danger scoring chances midway through the third period, and after giving up seven goals throughout the entirety of the second round, they’ve allowed 10 goals in the first two games.
Or view it this way: The Panthers had more goals than the Hurricanes had high-danger scoring chances. — Clark
What more is there to say about Florida, really? The term “clinic” doesn’t seem to cover it. The Panthers have done it all against Carolina in these first two games.
Thursday was another dominant performance by the reigning Stanley Cup champions in an offensive and defensive effort that requires no notes. The Panthers set a tone early with Gustav Forsling‘s goal just 1:17 into the game and never relented. The Hurricanes were averaging over 33 shots per night in the postseason (second most among playoff teams), and Florida limited their chances to seven shots through the first two periods alone — while the Panthers pummeled Carolina with 16 shots and four goals in the same span. It was enough to chase Frederik Andersen from the net, when he was replaced by Pyotr Kochetkov with a four-goal deficit.
The Hurricanes’ top scorers were simply no match for Florida’s attack or a locked-in Sergei Bobrovsky, who, while not heavily challenged, was a match for all comers in a 16-save shutout. The way Florida is playing right now, one has to wonder how the Hurricanes can get back in this series as the teams shift down to Florida. — Shilton
Three Stars of Game 2
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Panthers go up 3-0 on Sam Bennett’s power-play goal
The Panthers threaten to run away with it after Sam Bennett’s power-play goal makes it 3-0 in the first period.
He had two goals and a helper, as the Panthers dominated the Hurricanes in Game 2. This is Bennett’s second career 3-plus point playoff game and second career multigoal playoff game.
2. Team defense
The Hurricanes were averaging 33.2 shots per game this postseason, second in the playoffs to the Colorado Avalanche. But the Panthers, with their efficient and suffocating defense, held Carolina to five shots in the first 30 minutes of the game. Near the end of the second period, the fans at Lenovo Center were growing tired of it and started chanting “shoot the puck” at their team. Carolina did have more shot volume in the third period, ending with 17, but nothing got past Sergei Bobrovsky.
3. Offside reviews and coaching tactics
Normally, I’m not the biggest fan of lengthy offside reviews. I wish there was a timer — if you can’t make the call in 90 seconds, then the call on the ice stands. But the Florida Panthers executed one to perfection in Game 2. Up 3-0 in the second period, the Hurricanes scored, but thinking the play was offside, the Panthers called a timeout to buy more time to see every angle available, eventually calling for the challenge. It was indeed determined to be offside and the goal was taken away. — Arda Öcal
Players to watch in Game 3
Let’s start here with the Hurricanes. There’s no shortage of options. Part of the reason Svechnikov is in this space is because he leads the Hurricanes in goals this postseason. The rest of it has more to do with whether the Canes can rely on a certain postseason pattern for Svechnikov holding true. After going goalless in Games 2 and 3 against the New Jersey Devils in the first round, he responded with a hat trick. He didn’t score in the first two games against the Washington Capitals only to then score a goal in three straight games. Could Svechnikov respond by grabbing at least one goal in Game 3? Or are the Canes in store for more offensive struggles once they arrive in Sunrise? — Clark
The Panthers’ instigator had been quiet since Florida’s first-round series win over Tampa Bay, recording just five assists in eight games heading into Game 2 against Carolina. But Tkachuk looked more like himself Thursday, agitating the Hurricanes and making his physical presence felt. He also emerged early on the score sheet, registering an assist on Gustav Forsling’s game-opening salvo and adding a goal — Tkachuk’s first in 10 games — in the opening period to extend Florida’s lead to 2-0. It was a testament to how commanding Tkachuk’s line was with Sam Bennett (two goals and an assist) and Carter Verhaeghe (three assists) that he was able to finally appear as the Tkachuk of old. If this was indeed Tkachuk’s reawakening after a slow stretch, then the Hurricanes better be well aware of Tkachuk going forward because he was as dangerous as ever at both ends of the ice in Game 2. — Shilton
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Matthew Tkachuk taps it in to pad the Panthers’ lead
Matthew Tkachuk sneaks the puck past the goalie to pad the Panthers’ lead against the Hurricanes.
Big questions for Game 3
What’s the response to their worst playoff loss this year?
Several questions will be asked when it comes to what adjustments can be made before Game 3. Could one of them be about what the Hurricanes must do to get off to a stronger start? Allowing two first-period goals in Game 1 already presented the reality that the Panthers were going to remain aggressive. But to then give up the first goal less than two minutes into the first before giving up three in total in an opening frame that saw the Panthers record just five shots on net? That only adds to the degree of difficulty for a team that has now lost two straight playoff games after losing two postseason games in total over the first two rounds, especially when the last time the Hurricanes were down 0-2 to the Panthers in a playoff series was during the 2023 Eastern Conference finals in which they were swept. — Clark
Will Sam Reinhart be back at full strength for the Panthers?
Florida saw one of its top skaters exit in the first period after Sebastian Aho delivered a hit that forced Reinhart out for the remainder of the game with a lower-body injury. While Florida had Game 2 well in hand even before Reinhart became unavailable, it’s safe to say the Panthers are a better team when he’s in the lineup. Reinhart’s status going forward is significant for Florida overall. Reinhart paced the Panthers with 39 goals and 81 points in the regular season and notched 11 points in 13 postseason tilts going into Game 2. Florida must hope that Reinhart isn’t just available for Game 3 (and beyond), but that he’s not too banged up to continue operating at a high level. — Shilton
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