Harper says he’ll return this season

Phillies slugger Bryce Harper says “I will be back at some point” to play this season but won’t put a timetable on when he can return from his broken left thumb.

Harper was injured last month when he was hit by a 97 mph pitch from San Diego Padres left-hander Blake Snell. The 2021 NL MVP had three pins put in his thumb during surgery that will be there for three weeks. He is in a cast and unable to throw.

The 29-year-old Harper is hitting .318 with 15 home runs, 48 RBI and a .985 OPS

“I don’t want to give anybody a timetable because I don’t know,” Harper said before the Phillies played Washington on Tuesday night. “If I knew a specific date that I’d be back, I’d tell you. I just don’t think it’s fair to anybody. I’ll be back when I’m ready to go.”

Harper checked his swing as the pitch rode inside and high toward his shoulder before hitting him on the outside of the left hand in the fourth inning. He fell to the ground and was in pain as he held his hand while on his knees for several minutes.

NFL

COWBOYS UNDER FIRE » The Dallas Cowboys sparked criticism on social media Tuesday after announcing a marketing agreement with a gun-themed coffee company with blends that include “AK-47 Espresso,” “Silencer Smooth” and “Murdered Out.”

The partnership with the Black Rifle Coffee Co. was revealed on Twitter the day after more than a half-dozen people died in a shooting at a Fourth of July parade in suburban Chicago.

It also comes a little more than a month since the Cowboys announced their role in a $400,000 donation to support victims and survivors of the school shooting in Uvalde in South Texas, where 19 students and two teachers died.

The tweet announcing the agreement between “America’s Team” and “America’s Coffee” drew about 200 comments in the first few hours, most of them critical and suggesting the timing of the announcement was poor.

Cycling

VAN AERT WINS FOURTH STAGE » Belgian rider Wout van Aert won the hilly fourth stage of the Tour de France and extended his overall lead after attacking strongly on the day’s final climb on Tuesday.

The Belgian rider kept the leader’s yellow jersey for the Jumbo–Visma team after taking it for the first time on Saturday. He also extended his lead in the green jersey contest for best sprinter.

Van Aert shook up the peloton when he surged ahead up the last of the five climbs — a 900-meter ascent up Cote du Cap Blanc-Nez at a gradient of 7.5 % — about 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the end.

He said he felt an early attack was the best way to avoid a mass sprint at the line.

NHL RUSSIAN PLAYERS IN

LIMBO FOR DRAFT » The war in Ukraine has added an increasing level of uncertainty for NHL teams interested in drafting Russia-born prospects because of questions regarding their availability to play in North America.

While no team has openly stated it would avoid selecting Russians altogether in the two-day draft in Montreal that opens Thursday, there is the potential of Russia being shut out in the first round for the first time since 2005.