While Bryce Harper is at least a week away from having the pins removed from his broken left thumb, the Phillies continue to receive good news and see positive signs from injured second baseman Jean Segura.
Out since May 31 with a broken right index finger, Segura will begin a rehab assignment Tuesday with Triple A Lehigh Valley on the road in Durham.
Segura is first eligible to return from the 60-day injured list on July 31. He continues to take batting practice and hit in the indoor cage.
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"Everything's checking out great," manager Rob Thomson said pregame Monday. "I don't know how (many rehab games) it will take but he certainly looks a lot better than I expected at this point. So far, so good."
Segura will be a welcomed addition to a struggling Phillies offense that has scored three runs or fewer in 10 of the last 12 games. He'll lengthen the lineup whether he's batting one, two, three, five or six.
Thomson has used Matt Vierling in the leadoff spot two games in a row with Kyle Schwarber batting second. The Phils have faced a pair of lefties in Drew Smyly and Max Fried, which played into the decision. Could the leadoff spot go to Segura when he returns?
"Possibly," Thomson said. "When we get him back, we'll look at it and see what we've got."
Segura was hot for most of May prior to the injury. He opened the month with a 13-game hitting streak and hit .373 with a .425 OBP from May 5 through May 25.
"I don't want to put a specific date just because really now, it's dependent upon when he feels he's ready," president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said Monday.
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"It's a situation where really now it's just a matter of when he's ready, but we don't want to rush him either."
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