PHILADELPHIA -- Bryce Harper played first base on Monday for the first time since Aug. 20, giving him an opportunity to chat with Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani -- if the DH reaches base.

But don’t expect Harper to make his Phillies pitch to Ohtani, who will be a free agent following the season.

“No,” Harper said before Monday night’s game at Citizens Bank Park. “He’s going to go where he feels best, if that’s Anaheim or anywhere else. He’s going to make the best decision for himself and his family and himself as well. Wherever he goes, they’re going to get a great player and a great person as well. I think not just myself, but everybody is kind of excited to see what happens with his career and his free agency and where he ends up going.”

Massive nine-figure numbers have been mentioned when people have speculated about Ohtani’s next contract. But that was before Ohtani tore the UCL in his right elbow last Wednesday, which has clouded his future as a pitcher.

“It’s a huge bummer not for just himself, but everybody in baseball, right?” Harper said about Ohtani’s elbow injury. “He’s one of the best to ever play. And for him to get hurt the way he did, I hope it’s not too bad and he can kind of come back, rehab from it, hopefully not have to go under the knife and just be Shohei. Because everybody loves watching him.”

Ohtani had Tommy John surgery in September 2018, which Harper used as his recovery guide when he had Tommy John surgery in November.

“He’s been through it before,” Harper said. “He understands it. His body works differently than a lot of people around the league. He’s got to pitch, he’s got to hit. The daily grind of that, I couldn’t imagine. He does it at a high level on both sides. I hope he continues to do it on both sides, because it’s fun to watch. It gives everybody at a young age the opportunity to strive to be like that, to hopefully one day have multiple players in the league doing what he’s doing.

"It is very special. He’s one of the guys that can do it because he has the body that he does and the mindset that he does. So I hope it’s not too bad. I hope he can come back from that very strong and keep being Shohei, because it’s fun to watch.”