Phillies hoping to activate Jean Segura from injured list Tuesday

At first blush, given how Jean Segura came up hobbling at first base and limped off the field June 15 at Dodger Stadium, the Phillies feared he may be sidelined until a few days before the All-Star break, if not longer.

Instead, he could return to the lineup Tuesday night.

Segura was scheduled to go through pregame activities, including a few laps around the bases, before Monday night’s makeup game in Cincinnati. Assuming no setbacks with his strained left groin, the second baseman will be reinstated from the injured list for the series opener against the Miami Marlins, according to manager Joe Girardi.

It represents almost a best-case scenario for the Phillies. After Segura was diagnosed with a Grade 1 strain, general manager Sam Fuld estimated from conversations with the medical and training staffs a three-week absence for the team’s hottest hitter. But Segura said a few days later that he believed he would beat the team’s timeline based on his previous experiences with groin and hamstring injuries.

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“I’ve been dealing with this my whole career, so I know when it’s good, I know when it’s bad, I know when to take the time I need,” Segura said before a June 18 game in San Francisco. “I just know it because I know my body. Hopefully, I can come back and continue to do what I’ve been doing.”

Segura was on a tear before his injury. He went 32-for-91 (.352) with seven doubles, two triples, one homer, 12 RBIs, nine walks, and a .422 on-base percentage in a 24-game stretch that coincidentally began May 16, the same day as his infamous dugout confrontation with Girardi over two defensive miscues in a 10-8 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays in Dunedin, Fla. Segura has made only one error since that game, too.

The Phillies are taking a more gradual approach to shortstop Didi Gregorius’ return from the injured list.

Gregorius hasn’t played since May 12 due to pseudogout, a rare condition that caused persistent and repeated swelling in his right elbow. He went 1-for-4 with two walks in two games over the weekend for triple-A Lehigh Valley. He’s scheduled to be examined by the Phillies’ training staff Tuesday before going out to play in more minor-league games this week, according to Girardi.

It’s possible Gregorius could rejoin the Phillies by the weekend.

“They told me with the medicine I won’t have pain,” Gregorius said last week. “That’s what I had the whole time I was playing. I had pain and swelling. I had limits. Hopefully it doesn’t come back, because then I’ll be [ticked] off.”

After getting hit by a pitch on the lower left calf Saturday and sitting out Sunday’s game in New York, Bryce Harper returned to the lineup in the cleanup spot.

Harper has started only 55 of the Phillies’ 76 games because of assorted injuries, including, but not limited to, low back soreness, a bruised forearm, and a sore shoulder. He also got hit in the face by a pitch in April in St. Louis. Despite the frequent stops and starts, he was batting .272 with 10 doubles, 11 homers, and an .878 OPS.

“He’s been in and out of the lineup, and that’s a hard way to be consistent as a player,” Girardi said. “Guys like Bryce are used to everyday at-bats and being in there 150-155 games a year, and not having so many off days. You get going and then you tweak something and you sit down for a little bit. Hopefully he just missed the one day here and we’ll run him out a bunch of days in a row again.”

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Girardi said lefty Matt Moore will start Saturday night against the San Diego Padres. Moore pitched five scoreless innings against the Mets last week in his return from the injured list and a protracted minor-league rehab assignment. ... Backup catcher Andrew Knapp made his return to the lineup after being reinstated from the concussion list over the weekend. He started in place of J.T. Realmuto, who got a breather after starting seven of the last nine games. ... Vince Velasquez, who has a 7.97 ERA in his last five starts after posting a 2.30 ERA in his first six, will start at home Tuesday night in the opener of a three-game series against the Marlins. Miami will counter with rookie lefty Trevor Rogers (7-2, 2.08 ERA).