Philadelphia Phillies superstar Bryce Harper is “ahead” of schedule in his rehab from Tommy John surgery in November, but he’s still two weeks out from reporting to spring training.

Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said Harper likely will report March 8 or 9.

“He’s doing very well in his progress, he texted me back and forth yesterday,” Dombrowski said Thursday. “Doctors are happy with where he is. He’s doing great from a recovery perspective.”

Harper is taking dry swings – no contact – while rehabbing at his home in Las Vegas.

The Phillies are optimistic that Harper might be able to return sooner than their initial All-Star break target.

“I think he’s a little bit ahead,” Philadelphia manager Rob Thomson said, “but oftentimes, you say that about a player and all the sudden they have a setback. So just knocking on wood and making sure we’re careful with how we keep progressing him.”

Harper underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow on Nov. 23. Harper required the surgery to repair the torn ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing arm. The injury prevented him from playing right field for most of last season and he made 90 of his 99 regular-season appearances as the designated hitter.

Harper, 30, was unable to throw the ball after mid-April of last season. He hurt his elbow on April 11 as he made a throw to home plate in a game against the New York Mets and soon after converted to the DH role when an MRI showed a strain in the muscles and tendons where the elbow and forearm meet.

Harper also missed two months with a broken left thumb.

Despite the injuries, Harper hit .286 with 18 home runs and 65 RBIs for the Phillies, who lost to the Houston Astros in the World Series in six games. In 17 postseason games, he batted .349 with six homers and 13 RBIs.

The two-time National League MVP and seven-time All-Star has 285 homers, 817 RBIs and a .280 batting average in 1,382 career games with the Washington Nationals (2012-18) and Phillies (2019-22).

–Field Level Media