The All-Star Break? Ha! The summer solstice? Hogwash. Memorial Day? That’s a target only for shore-goers.

Mother’s Day?

Now we’re talking.

There was no official update on the progression of Bryce Harper as far as a target return date, but every time someone from the Phillies speaks on the subject it seemingly moves up.

That would be the case Tuesday when manager Rob Thomson said that Harper is ready to hit professional pitching.

“I would say he is,” he said. “He’s done a lot of hitting.”

Harper took ground balls Tuesday afternoon and did some modified sliding, but the sliding is really the only issue right now.

“Once he gets on base, we can put a brace on him,” Thomson said. “But if he hits a double, he can’t be putting it on as he rounds first base. That’s where we worry.”

Harper still needs to be cleared by Dr. Neil El Attrache, who performed the Tommy John surgery on Harper’s elbow on November 23rd. Thomson said he couldn’t remember when Harper was scheduled to see El Attrache, but said that once he does, if cleared, he can go full-out sliding and ramp himself up.

El Attrache is based in Los Angeles, and the Phillies visit the Dodgers May 1-3, which could be a time for him to head out there with the team to see the doctor.

Harper could, of course, fly to L.A. on his own and see El Attrache, so it does not have to be linked to the team’s trip, but it’s convenient that the team has a charter plane headed out there at a time that syncs up with him being a little more than five months post-surgery and due to check in with his surgeon.

While Mother’s Day is probably a bit ambitious, it’s not that far off. The Phillies have a six-game homestand against the Chicago Cubs and Arizona starting May 19 which leads into their first games of the season with the Braves (four games) and Mets (three games) immediately thereafter.

Could we see Harper get his first MLB at bats during that homestand, so he can have a handful of games under his belt before Atlanta and New York?

It’s starting to feel like that’s a very real possibility and that May 19th could be the unannounced target date for his return.