Harper is expected to return Tuesday if cleared.

HOUSTON— bryce harpers has defied all conventional timelines while recovering from Tommy John surgery, and now the process has reached its tipping point. Harper will see a doctor Monday morning in Los Angeles. If he is cleared, he is expected to return to the Phillies’ lineup as a designated hitter Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, just 160 days after surgery to reconstruct his right elbow.

It is an amazing development for the Phillies, who anticipated months without Harper. But as Harper’s body responded throughout the process, optimism grew. He’s only coming back as a hitter, and that has sped things up. The current plan hinges on his appointment with Dr. Neal ElAttrache, the orthopedist who performed Tommy John surgery on Harper on Nov. 23. The Phillies have decided that even if Harper is cleared Monday, he won’t be activated Monday night.

But it’s near.

“He’s pretty excited to get out there and play,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “It’s itching.”

The club had originally set a timeline for Harper to return as DH sometime “before the All-Star break.” If he is acquitted on Monday and returns Tuesday, he will have been over that projection by more than two months.

“Unbelievable,” said Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski. “He is absolutely amazing. He is a great athlete. He works hard. He is focused. He wants to go back. I mean, it’s amazing what he’s accomplished. We have the next step (with the doctor to clarify it). But the progress that he has made is phenomenal.”

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