Brown plans to return to field next week

PHILADELPHIA -- Domonic Brown said his head was feeling much better and plans to be back on the field next week.

Brown sustained a concussion July 23 when he dove for a fly ball against the Cardinals, and he missed his eighth consecutive game on Thursday. The left fielder said he had not had symptoms for the past four days and passed every test he needed to get back on the field.

The All-Star noted he was "pretty sure" he would go on a rehab assignment before rejoining the Phillies, but sounded confident he would return to the team next week. Brown, who leads the Phillies with 24 homers and 69 RBIs, said he took 60 swings in the batting cage on Thursday, and he also made some throws on the field.

Brown originally did not expect to miss more than a couple of games, but he said after he woke up last week in St. Louis, he could tell something was off.

"I had a concussion before, and it was totally different than this one. It was a lot of headaches and sensitive to the noise," Brown said. "This time, it was just the lighting, but I knew when I woke up the next morning something wasn't right."

Brown's injury came at a poor time for the Phillies, who have lost nine of their last 10 games. It also put a temporary stop on Brown's breakout season, but he understands that it is "part of the game."

"I'm not missing that much time," Brown said. "And I feel great, that's the biggest thing."