Bryce Harper on return: "Excited to be back out there with the guys"

PHILADELPHIA - Right fielder Bryce Harper is back. He was supposed to return Monday, but it was moved back a day due to flu-like symptoms. You can tell from listening to his voice he is still quite congested. But that's not going to stop him from playing tonight.

"Yeah, I just didn't feel well," Harper said of Monday. "Got up early and just didn't feel really good. That's about it. Didn't want to go out there and something happen and be dehydrated or something like that. So, took another day and back in there today."

But today is different.

"I feel fine. If I wasn't ready to go, I wouldn't be in the lineup," Harper said. "Excited to be back out there with the guys, with the team. It was a lot of fun hanging out with (Mike Wallace) in the clubhouse all day, but excited to be back in there today."

Manager Dusty Baker said Harper came into the clubhouse today ready to play.

"I talked to the trainers. They said he was kind of giddy, like a little kid on opening Little League day or something," Baker said. "He's excited. We're excited. Just going to have to be his conscience for him. If I think he's had enough or maybe needs more or whatever, just happy to have him back."

Baker had talked this week about how it really felt like a miracle that Harper was even back on the field this season playing baseball. Watching the injury occur on a rainy Aug. 12 at Nats Park, especially the way Harper crumpled to the field and grabbed his knee in excruciating pain, it seemed the worst-case scenario and that this night would not arrive until 2018.

"I'm excited. Everybody knows it could've been a lot worse with how the impact of the injury was," Harper said. "I just want to play. I don't want to worry about what's going to happen or this or that. 0-for-4, 4-for-4, just trying to see how it feels and go about it the right way. Just try to play my game."

Baker said the plan is to ramp Harper up. But he wouldn't be precise as to how many at-bats or innings he would play tonight. Baker knows that, with six regular season games left, he'll only have a handful of at-bats remaining to see if Harper is good to go for the postseason.

"Heck, there's not like there's a bunch of time," Baker said. "It's a feel thing. I got to see how he feels and how he comes out tomorrow. Game speed is totally different than practice speed. You're asking me questions that only his body and what I see can be answered."

The Nationals had originally hoped to get Harper back to begin the road trip, but in the end decided this week was a better return point.

"We got kind of clearance with the trainer No. 1, and fitness staff and doctors, talked it over with (General manager Mike) Rizzo to try to give him and us the best chance for him to be sharp and contribute and be as healthy as possible," Baker confirmed. "We would have liked to have done it last week, but sometimes your body doesn't respond to your plan. Your body responds to it's own plan. We had to listen to his body and the trainers and everybody."

As for easing Harper back into the games, it won't be nine innings tonight. Even with limited plate appearances planned, Harper said he won't force things or look over his shoulder and wonder when Baker will pull him.

"I think we are just going to build up the best we can," Harper said. "If that's three innings first day, five innings, nine, seven. I have no idea what he's going to do, but we got a plan. I just want to play. I don't really want to know what they're going to do. I just want to play the best I can. If that's three innings, four or five, or two at-bats, or whatever. Just try and go out there and play the game and not really worry about when I'm going to come out."

Harper also said that his knee and calf are ready to go and he has no limitations. Besides his swing, he'll be paying close attention to his running, starting and stopping, and how he feels after standing for five or six innings.

"I'm pain-free," Harper said. "If I wasn't pain-free I'd see you guys next year."

"Not really worried about the results right now," he said. "Not really worried about anything like that, just trying to feel good and make sure my calf is OK and the knee is OK, and trying to get in there and help the team as best as possible."