Phillies Bryce Harper Homers In First At-Bat Of Rehab Stint

Philadelphia Phillies right fielder Bryce Harper didn't waste any time getting back in the groove during his minor league rehab stint.

Harper was assigned to the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs with plans for him to spend around five games with the team. Harper was with Lehigh Valley in order to rehab a broken thumb and an injury to the UCL in his right arm.

On Tuesday, in his first plate appearance with the IronPigs, Harper obliterated a pitch from Gwinnett Stripers left-hander Jared Shuster.

Harper was just getting started. Later in the game he hit a three-run homer for his second of the game. He went 2-for-3 and drew a pair of walks in Lehigh Valley's 10-5 win over Gwinnett.

The Phillies superstar is scheduled to play with the IronPigs for the rest of the week. He'll get a break on Sunday, and could be in Philadelphia's lineup for Monday's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Harper has been dealing with an ulnar collateral ligament since early this season which limited him to being the designated hitter. He still has pain in his arm when throwing, so he’ll likely only be the DH if when he returns to the big leagues.

Back in June, Harper suffered the broken thumb that put him out of the lineup completely. It was the result of being hit by a pitch in a game against the San Diego Padres.

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