Monday, May 27, 2013

Harper out with bursitis; other updates

Photo by USA Today
Bryce Harper is out of the Nationals lineup against the Baltimore Orioles on Monday after leaving Sunday’s game in the seventh inning with an aggravated sore knee. An MRI showed no structural damage for Harper, but he has been diagnosed with bursitis.

Team Medical Director Wiemi Douogiuh said a few days rest is the best course of action at this point.

“Bryce has got some inflammation of a bursa sac in the front of his knee,” Douogiuh said. “It has nothing to do with the joint. We got an MRI that just showed some soft tissue swelling, soft tissue edema. We anticipate it’s going to clear up in a couple of days. There is nothing structurally wrong with his knee.”

Harper said on Sunday he did not plan to miss any time, but Davey Johnson and the Nationals decided it was best to have him sit.

“If you were seeing the same thing I was seeing, he was hurting even when he came into the dugout,” Johnson said.

“I think it’s just uncomfortable -- it’s like an inflammation. We just need to let it calm down. It was a little more swollen today.”

Team trainer Lee Kuntz said the Nats are most concerned at this point with Harper re-injuring the knee.

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7 comments:

DJB said...

What a terribly mismanaged organization. It was the organization's responsibility to step in and manage Harper's development. You simply don't take a 19 year old and move him out of catcher and around the outfield like they did. You give him one position and let him learn it. So Bernadina is a scrub. Let him play right field. Now his development is going to be hampered, if not delayed entirely. I think you have to consider a trade if this knee doesn't improve over the year, as sad as it is to say. The Lerners need to step in and hire away some of the Cards, Rays or Rangers front office staff and git rid of Rizzo ASAP.

Just wonderin' said...

DJB - I'm losing your logic train here -- so you leave Harper at catcher where his knees (and other body parts) are subject to much more abuse? And you trade him if his bursitis doesn't get better more quickly than it should because he's not developing as quickly as he might? Or is the trade for his sake, to get him out of the 'mismanaged' operation? A fascinating approach.

Drew said...

Consider trading Harper?

Is this an April Fool's joke on Memorial Day?

DJB said...

Keep him in left, where he started the year. Right field is a harder position, as everyone knows. More field idiosyncracies. I wouldn't consider a trade unless long-term knee stability were an issue. Then its on the table.

Unknown said...

All I can say on this, they have to treat him as a little kid and make sure he doesn't play again until he is healthy again. If this was August or September I could understand but this is May and we need a healthy Harper for the home stretch.
They are being very cautious with Werth and Detwiller, they should do the same with Harper.
If Harper argues, send him home. If it takes a couple of weeks, let him sit and get the legs healthy again, don't give in to his winning like a child.
Davey treat him like a child.

Jasoneducator said...

Harper's got to sit for a few days. Sounds to me like he's trying to play doctor and assume that it's going to be long term painful and that he can play through it. The doctors seem to think that the pain will subside some if he can just suffer through some idle time on the bench.

Dave said...

It's a little jumpy in here today. "Trade Harper" because he might have a bad knee?

Wow.

Just sit him down, and use the DL if need be.

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