photo courtesy of Nick Wass
Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper is known for his hard-nose play on the field, but a thumb injury suffered during Friday nights game against the Padres will land the 21-year old on the disabled list.
The hand injury occurred when Harper slid head-first into third base on a base-loaded triple. He stayed in the game for an additional inning before being replaced as his team went on to win 11-1. The Nationals officially put Harper on the 15-day disabled list before Sunday’s series finale against San Diego.
“It’s part of baseball. You slide into the bag and sometimes you get your fingers,” Harper said. “It’s a bummer, but hopefully I’ll be back soon.”
Harper is batting .289 with four doubles, two triples, a homer, nine RBI and eight runs this season. The Nationals will miss Harper’s production at the plate and in the field, especially with catcher Wilson Ramos and third baseman Ryan Zimmerman both on the disabled list.
Number 34 will fly to Cleveland on Monday to see Thomas Graham, renowned hand specialist, for a second opinion. On Saturday, Harper met with a hand specialist at Nationals Park. An MRI was taken and television cameras spotted Harper wearing a small cast on his hand as he sat out during Washington’s 4-0 victory.
“The early tests today are pretty good,” manager Matt Williams said Saturday (AP). “The X-rays are negative. There’s some swelling there. We just want to make sure we knock it out.”
In place of the two-time All-Star, the Nationals will start Nate McLouth in left field and outfielder Steven Souza Jr. has been call-up from Triple-A Syracuse.
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