This story was excerpted from Todd Zolecki's Phillies Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

Bryce Harper said Tuesday that he will be back this season. In fact, he promised. 

Harper offered no timetable, however, but he said he will play at some point because he needs to prove to himself that he can play at a high level before the offseason. 

The Phillies are 6-3 since Harper broke his left thumb on June 25 in San Diego. They need to keep up the pace for possibly another two months, until Harper and Jean Segura return. It is not impossible, but it would help if the Phils’ front office was able to find reinforcements in the meantime. 

“Yeah, I mean, I never doubt [Dave] Dombrowski,” Harper said. “He’s always going out there and doing what he needs to do to help this team get to where we need to be. I think we’re one game out of the Wild Card right now. We’ve got a big series here against the Nationals coming up and we’ve got a big road trip ahead of us, especially going into St. Louis for four games. That’s going to be a big opportunity for us. I would think if we’re in that third spot for the Wild Card, especially after this trip, I don’t see why we wouldn’t kind of go and do it. So, like I said, I don’t ever doubt Dombrowski to go and do what he needs to do. Same thing with [managing partner John] Middleton. They do such a great job for us. They want to win more than anybody, just like everybody in this clubhouse. I think it should be a good [Trade] Deadline if we do our job in here and get to where we need to be.”

The Trade Deadline is less than a month away on August 2. There are so many ways the Phillies could go. First, of course, is an upgrade at DH or in the outfield. They are the obvious holes to fill because Harper was the Phils’ DH before he got hurt. In a perfect world, Philadelphia could find somebody who has pop at the plate and plays solid defense in center or right, because it would allow the club to move Nick Castellanos to DH the majority of the time, while giving occasional breaks to Kyle Schwarber, J.T. Realmuto and others.

An outfielder like Andrew Benintendi makes sense. But there are others. Last week, we mentioned Joey Gallo, Ian Happ, Ramón Laureano, Trey Mancini, David Peralta, Bryan Reynolds and Michael A. Taylor.

The Phillies could address the infield as a means of bolstering the offense. Phils third basemen entered Tuesday 19th in the Majors with a .667 OPS. Their shortstops are 26th with a .602 OPS, although they hope Didi Gregorius will show more power if his right knee improves. Philadelphia has fared well at second since Segura’s injury. The club's second basemen ranked 11th with an .804 OPS since he broke his right index finger on May 31.

There are not a lot of great infield options, though.

So, failing an upgrade offensively, the Phillies could look to upgrade the pitching. Everybody needs more pitching. The bullpen has pitched brilliantly lately, but nobody has complained about more arms. Depending how Zach Eflin and Ranger Suárez feel in the next couple weeks, the Phils could look for help in the rotation, too.

The Phillies have pieces to deal, if they choose.

They have been talking about potential scenarios for weeks, even before Harper got hurt. No doubt those discussions have intensified.

“Hopefully we’re in a position where we continue to play well,” Dombrowski said recently. “So then you’re in a position where you can try to help your club while we can.”