PHILADELPHIA -- Bryce Harper played catch from a short distance for only a few minutes on Tuesday at Citizens Bank Park.

It did not go great.

“It just felt achy,” Harper said after his team’s 10-3 victory over the Rockies.

Harper has a mild strain in the flexor tendon in his right elbow. Tuesday was his first time throwing a baseball since April 19 in Colorado. He has not played right field since April 16. Fortunately, Harper does not feel discomfort while hitting, so he has served as the DH during that time.

“It’s a strain, so it’s going to take time,” Harper said. “I’ve never dealt with anything like this. I’m not really sure. Like I said, we’re going to re-evaluate tomorrow. I’m going to keep DH-ing and we’ll go from there.”

Asked if he considered Tuesday a setback or if the injury is just not moving as quickly as he hoped, Harper said, “Just not moving. Just not getting to where I want to be. I don’t think there’s really a timetable of when I’m going to play. Just trying to get my at-bats and have good at-bats.”

Before Harper threw on Tuesday, manager Joe Girardi said that Harper would not return to right field until May 3 at the earliest.

“I think it was improved, but not to the point where I’m going to play,” he said.

Harper originally injured the elbow making a throw to home plate on April 11. He played in right field two weekends ago in Miami, but he irritated the elbow after making a few more throws.