Harper hopes | Sports Daily Newsletter

Bryce Harper is going to be out for a while. Everyone knows that. We also don’t know exactly how long that will be.

But the Phillies faithful may have gotten some good news yesterday, when president Dave Dombrowski said the two-time MVP is “doing great” in his rehab from Tommy John surgery.

He’s doing so great, in fact, that the team isn’t putting him on the 60-day injured list, which would keep him out until at least May 29. Dombrowski said the team wants to keep its “options open” regarding Harper, who’s been swinging a bat pain-free for some time.

He won’t begin throwing for another month, but he could return to the designated hitter role he occupied for much of last season, David Murphy writes. He has more on Harper’s progress here.

— Maria McIlwain, Inquirer Sports Staff, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

❓Who do you think will step up at the plate and in the clubhouse in Bryce Harper’s absence? Email us back for a chance to be featured in the newsletter.

The Inquirer is debuting a new podcast, Uncovering the Birds, with Eagles beat writer Jeff McLane. The first episode drops March 24; click this link for more information and to sign up for alerts ahead of each episode!

Tuesday saw the Eagles welcome two new faces to town.

While he agreed to terms with the Birds last week, Greedy Williams was officially introduced to the media Tuesday and had a lot to say about why he landed on coming to Philadelphia.

While signing Williams addressed one need in terms of adding depth at corner, the team still was short on inside linebackers. Tuesday they rectified that some as well, signing veteran Nicholas Morrow, formerly of the Chicago Bears. Here’s all you need to know about the newest Eagle.

It looked and sounded so familiar. The name, the number, the roar from the crowd, the crack of the bat, the three-quarter-speed trot with the head angled downward. As Josh Harrison stood on the edge of the infield dirt at LECOM Park and watched Andrew McCutchen pass in front of him en route to home, he couldn’t help but think of all of those springtime afternoons they’d shared on this very same field. “For me and him to be be out there still doing it?” Harrison said. “It’s no surprise to us.” But the paths they’ve taken? That’s a much different story. On Tuesday afternoon, they were sitting in different clubhouses chasing different dreams: Harrison, a World Series with the Phillies; McCutchen, a bit of closure with the Pirates. But where they are now largely is a function of where they were when they were together.

Shohei Ohtani shut down the United States’ hopes of a World Baseball Classic title defense as Japan won, 3-2, in the final.

Team USA carried on its WBC run without its chief recruiter Bryce Harper, who hopes he might be “cool enough” to join them next time.

Reliever Matt Strahm is happy to be a “Swiss Army knife” for the Phillies, who need time to let Ranger Suárez build his arm back up.

Next: Taijuan Walker is back from the World Baseball Classic and will start against the Rays at 1:05 p.m. Wednesday at Tropicana Field.

We’ve seen it before. A promising Sixers squad fizzles in the early rounds of the playoffs. They have the second-most wins since the start of the 2019-20 season, so what gives?

This year, they’ve taken the first step and clinched a playoff berth (by virtue of the Brooklyn Nets’ loss to the Atlanta Hawks). They have a roster built to win. It just needs to stay healthy. That — plus a little luck — could point them toward a title.

Next: The Sixers face the Chicago Bulls on the road (8 p.m., NBCSP).

It is easy to forget that Cam York has the equivalent of about one full NHL season under his belt (74 career games). While the 22-year-old defenseman is undoubtedly talented and makes many things looks effortless, he still is a work in progress.

One area where York continues to try and improve is on the defensive end of the ice, particularly when it comes to using his stick. One way he has done this is to try and mimic and pick the brain of veteran stay-at-home D man Justin Braun.

Next: The Flyers are back in action Thursday as they host the Minnesota Wild (6:30 p.m., ESPN).

Alejandro Zendejas, a dual-national coveted by the United States and Mexico — and who even had appeared for both squads — has decided between the two. Zendejas explained how, despite a time of turmoil for the United States men’s national team, he made his choice.

Also making a commitment was the Union, who signed defender Jakob Glesnes to a new contract.

Scouting report: Villanova’s Sweet 16 foe is upset-minded Miami. Here’s what to watch for.

PIAA playoffs: Roman Catholic took down Archbishop Wood in a Catholic League rematch to headline local state semifinal action.

Joel Embiid broke the Sixers record for most consecutive 30-point games with his ninth. Who are the previous record holders?

Answer: A: Allen Iverson and Wilt Chamberlain. Stephen T. was first with the correct answer.

We asked: Who is your pick for this season’s NBA MVP and why? Among your responses:

Joel Embiid is far and away the MVP of the NBA. No one else means as much to his team as Joel. While the Sixers are a better team now than ever, and can win some games without him, they can’t do that against the very best NBA teams. With Embiid, they can beat anybody, as they’ve shown through March.

Other reasons he is the MVP:

· He is an unstoppable offensive weapon, can score when others know he is going to score himself, and does it while being fouled most of the time. He leads with 33.5 ppg, his highest ever.

· He is the best defensive player in all the NBA, especially since he is now in superb condition for the first time in his career, and doesn’t take “time off” when on defense. He now loves playing defense.

· He is better now than he ever was, on offense and defense. He keeps improving himself, and is passionate to win. No one dominates a game like Embiid.

· Due to his conditioning, toughness, and work ethic, he has performed exceptionally throughout the whole season. He doesn’t have bad games, as his stats prove.

· No NBA athlete is as athletically multi-talented as Joel. He does many things that no 7-footer has ever done. On this point, he has even exceeded the best centers in history for combined offensive and defensive skill.

· This year, he is most improved in four areas:

1. Ball handling and passing; he is no longer a turnover machine as he was in past years

2. His 85% free throw shooting is substantially better then Jokić (75%) and Antetokounmpo (68%). Embiid leads the league in made free throws per game.

3. He is an effective outside shooter, even from 3-point distance. In prior years, we would cringe when he shot a 3-pointer; not this year, with a 38% success rate, up from 33% and 30% in the prior 2 years.

4. Neither Jokić or Antetokounmpo are as good in all areas as Embiid is.

It’s not even close, Joel Embiid is the best player in basketball now, by a wide margin. — John W.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from David Murphy, EJ Smith, Josh Tolentino, Scott Lauber, Olivia Reiner, Giana Han, Andrea Canales, Jonathan Tannenwald, and Kerith Gabriel.