WASHINGTON — As Nationals star Bryce Harper took an awkward tumble in the wet outfield Thursday night, he felt something few associate with the brawny slugger.
Fear.
Harper might have escaped a serious injury, straining his left hamstring while making a throw in the Nationals’ 5-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays. But with immense talent and injury ridden past, even Harper had trouble keeping calm.
“I’ve had problems with my left knee before — I’ve had surgery on it,” Harper said. “So you know, it was definitely really scary.”
Nationals manager Matt Williams said Harper had a mild strain and would be evaluated Friday. Williams gave no estimate on how long Harper might be out or whether he would need to go on the disabled list, though the slugger indicated he might be day to day.
“Be smart about it, of course,” Harper said. “I want to be in there, but if I don’t feel right tomorrow, then maybe taking that day off might help me a little bit.”
Harper is hitting .344 with 22 home runs and 52 RBIs this season. A two-time All-Star at 22, he has dealt with several lower body injuries through his career, and he had surgery on his left knee after the 2013 season for a bursa sac. Harper also missed roughly a third of last season with a thumb ligament injury.
A prolonged absence would add to the injury difficulties for the Nationals, who lost three of four to the AL East-leading Rays to fall to one game above .500.
Harper fell on the damp grass while trying to throw home on Asdrubal Cabrera’s single in the sixth inning. As Harper planted to throw, his right leg slipped and his left leg buckled.
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Harper held his left leg while down on the ground for a few minutes and then gingerly walked off the field under his own power, escorted by members of the Nationals’ training staff.
Harper’s throw went wildly into the dugout during a four-run inning for Tampa Bay. There had been a 17-minute rain delay in the fourth.
“That wet surface played a big part in that, and it’s a bummer it happened,” Harper said.
Said Williams: “Conditions are conditions.”
Thumbnail photo via Evan Habeeb/USA TODAY Sports Images
