Camp Notes: A Bryce Harper update and a new role for Matt Strahm
Bryce Harper continues to progress in his rehab from Tommy John surgery.
He’s taking swings via soft toss, according to MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki. Harper was cleared to take swings off a tee every other day a week ago.
Presumably, the next step in Harper’s rehab process is to take batting practice on the field. Thomson told reporters last week that Harper taking batting practice before the end of spring training is a possibility.
Harper is expected to be back in the Phillies lineup as the designated hitter before the All-Star break, but at this rate, it seems plausible that Harper could beat that timetable rather easily if there are no setbacks in his recovery.
“I don’t want to put timelines on anything because I’ve never dealt with anything like an elbow,” Harper told reporters last week. “It’s definitely different waters for me. Just trying to take it day by day and see how I feel.”
Phillies to stretch out Matt Strahm
Before hitting the free agent market, Matt Strahm had interest in being a starting pitcher again. He was not used as a starter when he was with the Red Sox in 2022, but he did start 16 games for the Padres in 2019.
Most of those thoughts were put to bed when the Phillies picked him up as a reliever, but it appears the Phillies are looking to use Strahm in a multi-inning role out of the bullpen. Manager Rob Thomson told reporters, including Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer, that Strahm will start Friday’s split squad game against the Toronto Blue Jays in Dunedin. The Phillies would like to stretch Strahm out to three innings by the end of spring.
Last week, Thomson said in an MLB Network Radio interview that the Phillies need a bit more length out of the bullpen and that Strahm, Connor Brogdon and Andrew Bellatti are under consideration to be multi-inning relievers.
Nick Nelson was the Phillies’ designated multi-inning option last season, but he’s currently out with a hamstring injury.
It’s notable that the Phillies are looking to begin the year with Strahm stretched out to three innings. With Andrew Painter and Cristopher Sánchez out and Ranger Suárez’s status up in the air, they could be leaving the door open for Strahm to join the rotation in the event of a major shortage of starting caliber arms. It’s something the Phillies could do since they have two other strong left-handed relief options in José Alvarado and Gregory Soto.
Shortly after Strahm signed with the Phillies, he had this to say about his interest in starting:
“Especially with the way the game is going now with openers and all this stuff, it’s like most of the time, you gotta get through the lineup twice. I look up and it’s like ‘I can do that.’ The third time is the hard one, but I can do it twice. It doesn’t matter to me. I want to pitch.”
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