Harper cleared to resume rehab

PHILADELPHIA — One week after his much-publicized visit to orthopedist James Andrews, Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper has been cleared to resume his rehab from a badly bruised left knee that has plagued him more than a month.

Harper was examined this morning by Nationals team doctor Wiemi Douoguih, who determined that a week of rest and limited activity reduced the swelling in the 20-year-old's knee, enough to allow him to ramp up his rehab.

For now, that means only that Harper will be allowed to start walking without a knee brace. If he makes it through that seemingly mundane task with no issues, he'll then attempt to jog, then run. Not until he passes all those tests will Harper be allowed to resume baseball activities, though head trainer Lee Kuntz suggested there may not be much time at all between each step of the process.

"Running's the key for me," Kuntz said. "If he can run and do all those explosive type of activities, where it doesn't have any swelling or anything else, he's in a good spot and we can add all the other things. The hitting and throwing will come quickly, because obviously there's nothing wrong with his arm or back."
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