Phillies' Bryce Harper on early return: 'Body has been very good to me' - ESPN

LOS ANGELES — The thought throughout baseball was that Bryce Harper wouldn't rejoin the Philadelphia Phillies until after the All-Star break, possibly later. Tommy John surgery, the procedure Harper underwent in late November, requires a rehabilitation process that is lengthy, even for position players looking solely to hit. But Harper had his mind set on an earlier date. From the onset of his recovery, he targeted this week's series at Dodger Stadium as his ideal return, keeping it at the forefront of his mind as he navigated the monotony of his rehab.

«I wanted to put myself the earliest I could in my mind, the understanding to work towards something to get out there,» Harper said Monday. «It could've been the middle of April, it could've been the end of May, early May, but I wanted to put my mind on something to really take advantage of that.»

Harper received final clearance Monday from Dr. Neal ElAttrache, who replaced the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow on Nov. 23, and will return to the Phillies' lineup as their designated hitter for Tuesday's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, a mere 160 days since the procedure. Harper is the fastest known player to return from Tommy John surgery, according to research by ESPN Stats & Information, beating former infielder Tony Womack, who required a 182-day recovery in 2004.

Harper, 30, will rejoin the lineup without venturing out on a traditional rehab assignment, instead accumulating the equivalent of roughly 50 plate appearances against either rehabbing pitchers or minor league pitchers in controlled settings before Phillies games in prior weeks.

Said Harper: «My body has been very good to me in this process.»

Phillies manager Rob Thomson said he's still