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All things considered, the news on Bryce Harper today was relatively positive. The Washington Nationals' 70-year-old skipper Davey Johnson told reporters after Sunday afternoon's win in Miami that the 20-year-old Nats' slugger was unlikely to join the team in time for the first game of four with the Mets in New York's Citi Field. Harper headed back to the nation's capital to have his hip examined this afternoon. According to MLB.com's Bill Ladson, word from a "baseball source" is that the 2010 no.1 overall pick will just miss two days with inflammation in his left hip after falling to the ground in pain during a BP session on Saturday night:
#Nats OF Bryce Harper will be out of action for two more days. Harper had test done on the hip and the doctors found inflammation. That’s it
— William Ladson (@washingnats) September 9, 2013
Harper's sat out a few games recently with pain in his hip. Since returning from a DL stint that cost him over a month as he recovered from bursitis in his left knee, the second-year major leaguer has a .263/.371/.445 line over 57 games and 249 plate appearances in which he's hit 13 doubles, two triples and seven home runs. On the year, the 2012 NL Rookie of the Year has a .273/.377/.504 line with 20 doubles, three triples and 19 HRs in 101 games and 427 plate appearances, over which he's been worth +3.4 fWAR after a .270/.340/.477, 26 double, nine triple, 22 HR, +4.5 fWAR rookie campaign.
Tyler Moore is in left field for the Nationals tonight as they start the four-game set with the Mets. Since he was called back up from Triple-A Syracuse, the 26-year-old 1B/OF has a .372/.372/.395 line in 14 games and 44 PAs.
• Here's the Nats' lineup for the series opener in Citi Field:
#Nationals lineup at NYM: Span 8, Zimmerman 5, Werth 9, Desmond 6, LaRoche 3, Ramos 2, Moore 7, Rendon 4, Gonzalez 1
— Nationals PR (@NationalsPR) September 9, 2013