Harper is conducting batting practice to assess the condition of his wrist and practicing passing and receiving with his teammates.

Bryce Harper's injury shows improvement, but the Phillies still lack a definitive timeline for his return and the cause of the injury recurrence.

Today, Harper participated in his first batting practice since being placed on the injured list due to inflammation in his right wrist on June 8, beginning with 20 dry swings followed by hitting 20 pitches. He also practiced passing and receiving with teammates at Citizens Bank Park before the game, wearing a wrist brace the entire time.

"I felt good today," Harper said. "The recovery is better than expected, so I'm happy."

If his wrist responds well, he plans to repeat similar training tomorrow. When asked if he was close to returning, he replied, "It's unclear. We need to see how my wrist responds after the first day of swinging before deciding whether to increase intensity."

This reflects the early part of his season: he has been playing through injury since mid-April. After missing several games due to a hit by pitch on his right elbow on May 28, he returned for the series against the Blue Jays from June 4-6, only to have his wrist issue flare up again.

"The pain upon my return exceeded what I could tolerate on the field," Harper explained. "I know my limits. I've played through injuries in my career, but this time I've reached my limit."

Estimating a return time is difficult due to unclear pain management milestones. Harper experienced the same injury since May of last year and is unsure of the cause of this year's recurrence.

"There hasn't been a clear explanation," he said, "There are no structural issues, so surgery isn't needed. Multiple doctors have diagnosed it as severe localized inflammation." The unclear cause makes it impossible to predict if there will be a recurrence this season.

Harper stated that he was completely pain-free from December to mid-April, but there was no competition during the offseason. When asked about adjusting his training volume to reduce the likelihood of recurrence, he said, "I can't answer that right now. I don't want to experience a recurrence—it's strange to have pain return after being pain-free for over four months. In the future, we need to manage the number of swings and throws, which is difficult but necessary."

Currently, Harper is focused on how his wrist feels tomorrow morning, and he will continue to prioritize rest and treatment. "I hope the pain goes away," he said when asked if rest would cure it, "I don't want to play in pain; I'll just have to wait and see."