Phillies slugger Harper returns in win over Padres
PHILADELPHIA — Phillies slugger Bryce Harper got to a point where the condition of his right wrist — bothered by inflammation that stuck him on the injured list — was pretty much as good as it gets.
So, it’s time to play.
Harper returned from a nearly monthlong layoff because of right wrist inflammation to start at first base and bat third for the Phillies on Monday night against the San Diego Padres. He was hit by a pitch on the left foot, walked and lined into an unassisted double play as part of a 0-for-2 night in his first game since June 5.
“I didn’t think I was going to take any other steps forward of feeling better,” Harper said after the Phillies’ 4-0 win. “I thought we were kind of at a standstill of it feeling the same the last couple of days. From BP to live [pitching], it kind of gave us the same results each day. So, thought today was a good one.”
Harper went on the 10-day injured list on June 6, but the condition has bothered him at least dating to last season.
Harper said when he went on the IL that he felt pain in the wrist during a large portion of last season, when he hit 30 homers while helping the Phillies win the NL East.
A two-time National League MVP and eight-time All-Star, Harper played through the discomfort this season and hit .258 with nine home runs, 34 RBIs and eight stolen bases in 57 games. He also sat out five games, from May 26 to June 2, because of a bruised right elbow after being hit by a pitch from Atlanta’s Spencer Strider. Harper went 1-for-11 after he was hit by Strider.
Without Harper, the Phillies were 13-14 overall but still lead the NL East.
To make room on the 26-man roster, infielder Buddy Kennedy was designated for assignment.
Manager Rob Thomson said Harper’s playing status would be day to day based on how the wrist holds up.
Harper said his wrist does feel “way better” than it did a month ago when he went on the injured list.
“Ultimately, it’s going to come down to how I feel each day,” he said.
He is in the seventh year of a $330 million, 13-year contract and has led the Phillies to three straight trips to the playoffs. He was the 2022 NLCS MVP against the Padres when the Phillies reached the World Series. They lost in six games to Houston.
Harper said there was little difference in how the wrist felt between when he swung the bat or had to throw the ball in the field. He didn’t necessarily rule out serving as the designated hitter — a spot where Kyle Schwarber has thrived this season with 25 home runs — and Thomson said he didn’t know yet if that would be an option.
Phillies rookie sensation Otto Kemp started 20 of 21 games since he was called up to replace Harper in June. Kemp has 10 RBIs in 20 games but was not in Monday’s lineup. The right-handed hitting Kemp also can play third base and in the outfield, which leaves plenty of opportunities to earn at-bats even with Harper’s return.
“I imagine he’s going to stick around and be in our lineup,” Harper said. “He’s deserved the right to do that with the way he’s played.”
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
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Kristen Shilton
The Vancouver Canucks have come to terms with forward Brock Boeser on a new seven-year contract, carrying a $7.25 million AAV.
Canucks GM Patrik Allvin announced the deal on Tuesday during the first hour of NHL free agency. Boeser, 28, was an unrestricted free agent on a previously expiring contract.
Drafted by Vancouver 23rd overall in the 2015 NHL draft, Boeser has collected 204 goals and 434 points in 554 games with the Canucks to date. A top-six scoring threat, Boeser has elite playmaking skills and the potential to produce big numbers offensively. He had his best year offensively in 2023-24, producing 40 goals and 73 points in 81 games.
Boeser didn’t hit those marks again last season — settling for 25 goals and 50 points in 75 games — but was still second amongst teammates in output. He also plays a prominent role on Vancouver’s power play and when he can generate opportunities at 5-on-5, he is a true difference-maker up front for the Canucks.
The extension is a happy ending for Vancouver and Boeser. When the regular season ended, Boeser admitted “it’s tough to say” whether he’d be back with the Canucks. Boeser reportedly turned down a previous five-year extension offer with the club and Allvin subsequently looked into deals for him at the March trade deadline, with no takers. Boeser looked — and sounded — poised to explore his options on the open market.
Ultimately, Boeser decided to stay put by committing the best years of his career to the Canucks.
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Ryan S. Clark
Washington Capitals defenseman Martin Fehervary signed a seven-year extension through the 2032-33 season that is worth $6 million annually, the team announced Tuesday.
Fehervary, who had one year of team control remaining, will enter the final season of a three-year bridge deal that will see him make $2.675 million before his new contract begins at the start of the 2026-27 season.
He finished the season with five goals and a career-high 25 points while logging 19 minutes. Fehervary also played a crucial role in the Capitals’ penalty kill by finishing with 245 short-handed minutes for a penalty kill that was fifth in the NHL with an 82% success rate.
Securing the 25-year-old Fehervary to a long-term deal means the Capitals now have seven players who have more than three years remaining on their current contracts.
It also means the Capitals front office has one less decision to make ahead of what is expected to be an active offseason in 2026 that will see the club have what PuckPedia projects to be $39.25 million in cap space.
That’s also the same offseason in which captain and NHL all-time leading goal scorer Alex Ovechkin‘s contract will come off their books along with that of defenseman John Carlson.
But until then, the Capitals have their entire top-six defensive unit under contract as they seek to improve upon a 2024-25 season that saw them finish atop the Metropolitan Division with 111 points before they lost in the Eastern Conference semifinal to the Carolina Hurricanes in five games.
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