Bryce Harper Optioned to Triple-A by Washington Nationals

It's official; phenom Bryce Harper of the Washington Nationals will have to wait just a little bit longer before fulfilling his dream of making the big league club.

Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal reported that the 19-year-old was optioned to the team's Triple-A affiliate, the Syracuse Chiefs. 

The decision came after a day game against Detroit, in which Harper struck out three times. With a calf issue and his struggles at the plate, the choice was pretty easy for the guys in charge. After today's game, his average had fallen to .269 for the spring, with seven hits in 26 at-bats. 

Hitting the ball isn't the problem; what Harper needs to work on before being called back up is his plate discipline. In his 28 plate appearances, he had 10 strikeouts compared to only two walks.

For a guy who has only played professionally for one year, has not played a game above Double-A and is still a teenager, his performance this spring is nothing to worry about or hang his head over.

Once Harper's leg is back to 100 percent and he gets a few games of Triple-A under his belt, it wouldn't surprise me if he is in the majors within a month. As we all know, his potential is unlimited, and he certainly has the work ethic to make it happen fast.

The only thing that may keep him down a little longer would be the front office guys waiting until midseason, so his contract doesn't start this year.

Either way, it'll be a good thing for Washington and their fans. 

*All stats via ESPN.com