The scene in right field Thursday night was something out of a nightmare for the Washington Nationals. There was Bryce Harper, the team’s 22-year-old superstar, lying flat on his back in the wet outfield grass. There he was, clutching his left knee and grimacing in pain, then limping off the field with an athletic trainer at his side.
Harper left Washington’s 5-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays with what manager Matt Williams said is a mild left hamstring strain. The dynamic right fielder, who is in the midst of a breakout season, slipped while trying to throw out a runner at the plate in the sixth inning. He will be further evaluated Friday.
Shortly after the game, Harper said he had not yet had an MRI exam to diagnose the grade of the strain.
“If it still feels pretty terrible tomorrow and the next day, then we’ll take that,” Harper said. “But we’re just going to see how it feels tomorrow, see how it feels the next day, and go from there.”
Harper sustained the injury with one out in the sixth, when former Nationals infielder Asdrubal Cabrera roped a single to right field. Harper scooped up the ball, saw Logan Forsythe rounding third base and fired. His left knee bent awkwardly and the ball sailed into Tampa Bay’s dugout, allowing two runners to score. Harper was charged with an error on the play.
“I came up throwing and it was really slippery out there, in the rain,” Harper explained. “My right knee gave out, and then I put all my pressure on my left knee and got my hamstring, lower hamstring, and the knee a little bit. But it didn’t feel very good. I was in pretty good pain, and a little scared at the same time because I could feel a little bit more on the lower half of it. But see how I am tomorrow and go from there.”
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Harper laid on the grass for several minutes as trainer Lee Kuntz, Williams and three Nationals players jogged out to meet him. After a brief conversation, Harper limped to the dugout under his own power. Williams carried his mitt.
“We just asked him where he was hurting,” Williams said. “Lee was out there with him as well and examined him. The discomfort was in his left hamstring, so we got him out of the game.”
Clint Robinson replaced Harper in right field.
Harper has a history of left knee injuries. In 2013, he famously hurt the knee while crashing into the wall at Dodger Stadium. He was later diagnosed with bursitis, which hindered his performance for the rest of the season and required offseason surgery. Harper was also hit by a pitch on his left knee Saturday in Milwaukee.
Given that history, Harper said he was relieved Thursday when a team doctor told him the injury does not appear to be severe.
“Absolutely,” Harper said. “With the way it felt — I’ve had problems with my left knee before. I’ve had surgery on it. So you know, it was definitely really scary. It didn’t feel all that great when I was laying there. Pretty scared, but talked to the doctor a little bit, get what he thought, and then see how I felt.”
Harper has been one of the league’s hottest hitters in first third of the season. He is hitting .344 with 22 home runs and 52 RBI. On Thursday, he smashed a line drive off the pitcher’s mound in the first inning to drive in a run.
Harper hopes his season will continue sooner rather than later.
“Yeah, I’m just going to see how it feels tomorrow,” Harper said. “Be smart about it, of course. It’s still early. Just try to be as smart as I can. I want to be in there, but if it don’t feel right tomorrow, then maybe taking that day off might help me a little bit. But we’ll see how I feel.”
• Tom Schad can be reached at tschad@washingtontimes.com.
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