The Philadelphia Phillies are in an interesting spot halfway through the season. Star slugger Bryce Harper is out indefinitely due to a fractured left thumb and subsequent surgery. Meanwhile, Jean Segura, arguably the team's most consistent hitter, has been out since the beginning of June due to a broken finger.

Despite these season-changing injuries, the Phillies are heating up under new head coach Rob Thomson. The team is 22-9 since June 1 and shows no signs of slowing down. That being said, Bryce Harper has a subtle challenge for the Phils and the team's front office while he recovers:

“I would think if we’re in that third spot of the wild card after this [upcoming] trip, I mean, I don’t see why we wouldn’t go out and do it,” Harper told the media on Tuesday, per The Philadelphia Inquirer. “I don’t ever doubt Dombrowski to go and do what he needs to do. Same with [owner John] Middleton. They want to win more than anybody. It should be a good deadline if we do our job in here and get to where we need to be.”

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The 2022 MLB Trade Deadline is scheduled for Aug. 2 at 6 p.m. EST, so that's less than a month away. Since Bryce Harper's comments Tuesday afternoon, the Phillies went on to crush the Washington Nationals in the first of their three-game series. Now, the team holds the third and final Wild Card spot.

If the Phillies continue to win and earn a spot in the 2022 MLB Playoffs, it will break the team's 10-year playoff drought.