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                                                                                                       SPORTS Monday 14 august 2017





























               Harper has bone bruise, Nats hopeful he’s back this season



            By STEPHEN WHYNO             candidate will be back be-                                                             ing an organization, you’d
             AP Sports Writer            fore the end of the season.                                                            be   short-sighted   you’d
            WASHINGTON       (AP)    —  “It  was  definitely  a  relief,”                                                       be  short-sighted  to  think
            When Bryce Harper writhed  Harper said Sunday. “We’re                                                               about  the  25  men  on  the
            in  pain  on  the  field  and  going to take some time to                                                           major league roster,” Rizzo
            clutched  at  his  left  knee  definitely let it heal. I want                                                       said. “This is a 40-, 50-man
            and then didn’t put weight  to be at 100 percent when-                                                              operation  and  you  have
            on  his  left  leg  as  he  was  ever I play. The World Series                                                      to  rely  on  great  scouting
            helped  off,  the  possibility  is  definitely  on  my  mind,                                                       to  bring  the  players  and
            of  a  career-altering  injury  playoffs, things like that.”                                                        great development to get
            seemed realistic.            Rizzo said the Nationals feel                                                          these guys ready to play at
            Harper  was  definitely  wor-  they “dodged a bullet” but                                                           an optimal level in a pen-
            ried.                        didn’t want to undersell the                                                           nant race for the Washing-
            “Of course you’re going to  significance  of  the  bone                                                             ton Nationals, which is not
            think  the  worst,”  he  said.  bruise,  which  came  when                                                          easy.”
            “It’s  definitely  a  bad  feel-  Harper   hyperextended                                                            The injury to Harper opens
            ing.”                        his  knee  slipping  on  a  wet   Washington Nationals’ Bryce Harper grabs his knee after he was   up playing time in the out-
            That  bad  feeling  subsided  base in the first inning of a   injured running to first during the first inning of the team’s base-  field  but  would  present  a
            as  Harper  walked  up  the  rain-delayed game against    ball game against the San Francisco Giants, Saturday, Aug. 12,   difficult  challenge  if  he’s
                                                                      2017, in Washington.
            stairs  from  the  dugout  to  the  San  Francisco  Giants                                         Associated Press  not  ready  by  the  start  of
            the  clubhouse,  tested  his  on Saturday night.                                                                    the  postseason.  The  Na-
            knee  by  jumping  up  and  “The bone bruise, it’s real,”   and  87  RBIs  in  106  games  and  be  healthy.  That’s   tionals don’t have another
            down and then got the MRI  Rizzo  said.  “It’s  an  injury,   this  season,  and  his  pres-  what we want.”        Harper  in  the  system,  and
            results  that  revealed  what  and  we’re  going  to  have   ence  in  the  lineup  is  cru-  This fall is especially impor-  neither  does  anyone  else
            the  Washington  Nation-     to treat it accordingly.”    cial to Washington playing  tant  considering  Harper     in baseball.
            als  hope  is  season-saving  Rizzo  said  the  conditions,   deep into October.       can be a free agent after    “He’s  definitely  one  of
            news.  General  manager  which included steady rain       The    Nationals   running  the  2018  season,  crystalliz-  those  guys  that  you  can’t
            Mike Rizzo said Harper has  during the play “aided” in    away with the NL East gives  ing  Washington’s  champi-   replace on a team,” starter
            a “significant” bone bruise  the injury but didn’t blame   them  the  luxury  of  playing  onship  window  with  Max   Edwin Jackson said.
            in  his  left  knee  but  avoid-  Major   League   Baseball   it  safe  with  Harper.  Given  Scherzer  in  his  prime  and   Harper  knows  that  and
            ed  the  kind  of  ligament  for  going  ahead  with  the   injuries  to  Harper,  Stephen  a  lineup  built  with  power   vowed not to play through
            or  tendon  damage  that  game.  Harper  was  upset       Strasburg — who has a re-    around  the  29-year-old     an  injury  —  unless  it’s  the
            would have put a pin in the  about  playing  in  the  rain   hab  assignment  Monday  face of the franchise, Dan-   playoffs.  At  that  point,  all
            team’s World Series aspira-  at  10  p.m.  but  called  it  a   —  and  others,  the  Nation-  iel Murphy, Trea Turner, An-  bets are off.
            tions.                       “freak accident.”            als’ focus is getting healthy  thony  Rendon  and  Ryan   “If  I  don’t  feel  good,  then
            There’s  no  definitive  time-  “I  don’t  like  wet  bases,”   for the playoffs.      Zimmerman.  Even  injuries   I’m  not  going  to  go  out
            line  for  Harper  to  return,  Harper  said.  “It’s  just  an   “We don’t know how long  to Strasburg, Turner, Jayson   there  and  play,”  Harper
            but  manager  Dusty  Baker  unfortunate  situation  that   he’s  going  to  be  out,  but  Werth  and  more  haven’t   said. “Of course if we were
            referenced 10 days to two  happened. There’s nothing      he will be back before the  hurt  the  Nationals  yet  be-  in  the  playoffs  right  now
            weeks. At the very least the  I can do.”                  end  of  the  season,”  Baker  cause of their organization-  I’d tape it up and get out
            Nationals  are  hopeful  the  Harper, the 2015 MVP, is hit-  said. “We expect him to be  al depth.                  there and hobble the best
            star outfielder and NL MVP  ting .326 with 29 home runs   back  for  the  stretch  drive  “When talking about build-  I could and do that.”q
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