Bryce Harper can’t return soon enough for the Phillies, who find that the NL is tough. Really tough.

It will be a sight for the sorest of Phillies’ eyes after a lost week at Citizens Bank Park.

Bryce Harper plans to play Tuesday night in Toronto.

Harper’s return will come seven days after a heat-seeking fastball from Atlanta’s Spencer Strider bruised his right elbow — and not a moment too soon after the Phillies got Brews’d in a three-game sweep by Milwaukee.

Without Harper, the Phillies lost the equilibrium of their lineup. In five games, they batted .223 and scored 19 runs. They played mostly from behind, lacked the firepower to catch up, and went 1-4, including four consecutive losses.

» READ MORE: Bryce Harper on Kyle Schwarber: ‘I don’t see him playing anywhere else’

Harper tends to get pitched inside as much as any hitter in the majors. It comes with the territory. If there was any intent behind Strider’s up-and-in fastball, Harper said it was merely to move him off the plate. It happens.

“I understand throwing inside. I totally get that,” he said. “That’s where teams kind of go against me — sinkers in, heaters up and in. I’m all for it in baseball to get guys off pitches away. It’s just [when there’s a lack of] control. Guys throw a little too hard now to do that up and in."

But Harper stopped wearing a protective guard on his elbow because he found it inhibiting. He will return with a brace, perhaps even the cumbersome contraption from 2023 after he came back from Tommy John surgery.

In any case, the Phillies are eager to get No. 3 back in his familiar No. 3 spot in the lineup.

“He’s such an impact player and such a good offensive player,” Trea Turner said. “Even when he’s not going well, he’s walking, he’s making it tough on [opponents]. He makes the manager have to make different decisions and whatnot. Definitely miss him.”

Obviously. But the Brewers’ sweep underscored another fact of life for the 2025 Phillies: The National League is tough. Really tough.

A week ago, the Brewers were 27-28 and had an 11.6% chance of making the playoffs, according to the projection system at FanGraphs. But they reeled off seven wins in a row and began the week only 1½ games out of a wild-card spot.

» READ MORE: Early Phillies trade deadline preview: Bullpen help will be costly. Here are some relievers to watch.

The Brewers and Cardinals figure to keep applying pressure to the first-place Cubs in the NL Central. Over in the West, the Padres and Giants have been peskier than expected to the superpower Dodgers. The Braves have a positive run differential and a knack for summertime hot streaks.

“I think [the Brewers are] a really good team over there,” Turner said. “They swung the bats great all series; they always have a good pitching staff. If you’re going to beat teams like that, you can’t give them outs. We might’ve gave some away, but they’re playing pretty good ball, too.”

So, although there are more pathways than ever into the playoffs, it’s probably a good idea to win your division rather than relying on the wild card, which, in the NL, could shape up as a six- or seven-team race for three spots.

A few other thoughts entering the week:

In the fourth inning Sunday, Turner took a few steps to his left, scooped a grounder, and threw a dart to first base. In the sixth, he vacuumed a bouncer up the middle that went through Ranger Suárez’s legs for another nice play.

Then, in the seventh, Turner booted a routine ground ball, enabling the tying run to score.

Several team officials noted recently that Turner’s defense appears to be improved. The metrics, not always reliable, remain mixed. Turner ranks two outs above average, according to Statcast, but has saved three runs less than average, according to Sports Info Solutions.

» READ MORE: Taijuan Walker heads to the bullpen as the Phillies explore their in-house reliever options

“The mistakes have been in, it feels like, big moments, which is frustrating,” Turner said. “But from where I was at the last two years and where I’m at now, I feel a lot better. I feel like I’m doing a lot of things right and playing pretty good defense.”

Overall, the Phillies rank near the bottom of the majors in defensive runs saved and outs above average. They’ve given up hits on 32% of balls in play, worse than league average (29.3%). It’s partially, though not completely, a reflection of defense.

“I don’t know how to put a number on it, but I think we’ve played very well at times,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “We’ve improved over the last year — and I think Trea’s played a lot better this year than he did last year."

For the record, Jordan Romano and Jeff Hoffman weren’t traded for each other.

It only feels that way.

Romano, a two-time All-Star closer in six seasons with the Blue Jays, signed a one-year contract with the Phillies last December. A month later, the Jays made a three-year deal with Hoffman, who spent the last two years in the Phillies’ bullpen.

So, the comparisons will be inevitable this week when they face their former teams in Toronto.

» READ MORE: The Phillies will keep riding their starters while they figure out their bullpen mix

But the Romano-Hoffman connection doesn’t stop there. Eleven years ago, they were both drafted by the Blue Jays — Hoffman in the first round and Romano in the 10th — and met a few weeks later.

“We actually did all the minicamp stuff together,” Romano said. “We were together probably a couple months there at the beginning.”

Hoffman had Tommy John elbow surgery in college, so after the draft, the Jays assigned him to their spring-training facility in Dunedin, Fla. Romano also got drafted out of college but started his pro career in rookie ball in Dunedin.

A few months later, their paths crossed again. As Hoffman completed his recovery in 2015, Romano suffered a torn ligament in his elbow and had Tommy John surgery.

“It’s interesting,” Romano said. “We never actually played on an affiliate together, but we spent time together. He’s an awesome guy. It’s cool. Drafted together, go your separate ways, and now, you’re kind of swapped. It’s definitely cool.”

Romano struggled through the season’s first few weeks with the Phillies, allowing 14 earned runs in 9⅓ innings. Since then, he has allowed only four runs in 12⅔ innings, with 20 strikeouts and only six walks.

Hoffman’s season has been the polar opposite. He gave up two runs (with 23 strikeouts and two walks) through 16⅓ innings before allowing 15 runs in his last 10 innings.

So, who won the trade? Check back in about four months.