Bryce Harper Injury: Updates on Nationals Star's Status

After two violent collisions with the outfield wall, Washington Nationals superstar Bryce Harper is has recovered from bursitis in his left knee. Harper wasted little time ensuring fans he is healthy once again.

UPDATE: Monday, July 1, at 7:25 p.m. ET by Eric Ball

In Harper's very first at-bat since returning from the DL, he proved to everyone that there is nothing to worry about regarding his health: 

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UPDATE: Monday, July 1, at 2:55 p.m. ET by Brandon Galvin

The Nationals have activated Bryce Harper from the disabled list, the team announced.

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UPDATE: Thursday, June 27, at 4:00 p.m. ET by Sam Westmoreland

William Ladson of MLB.com has the latest on Harper's status and impending return. 

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UPDATE: Thursday, June 27, at 11:30 a.m. ET by Brandon Galvin

Washington Post's Adam Kilgore has the latest on Bryce Harper's rehab performance from Tuesday.

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UPDATE: Thursday, June 27, at 11:05 a.m. ET by Tom Kinslow

James Wagner of the Washington Post has good news for Nationals fans looking for good news on Bryce Harper's rehab.

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UPDATE: Wednesday, June 26, at 9:10 p.m. ET by Ian Hanford

Washington Post reporter James Wagner reports Harper's stat line from his second rehab start: 

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UPDATE: Wednesday, June 26, at 5:30 p.m. ET by Kyle Vassalo

Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post provides details on Harper's recovery: 

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UPDATE: Monday, June 24, at 7:42 p.m. ET by Eric Ball

After completing two sessions of batting practice without pain, Harper is heading to a rehab assignment at Class A Potomac according to Mark Zuckerman of CSNWashington.com. He outlines the timetable for Harper's return:

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Harper plans to play three innings and start in left field tomorrow night for Potomac, then increase his workload each subsequent day. If all goes well, he could possibly come off the DL in time for some of this weekend's series at the Mets. If he's not quite ready by then, he'd almost certainly return for the Nationals' homestand that begins June 30 against the Brewers.

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UPDATE: Sunday, June 23, at 11:40 a.m. ET by Brandon Galvin

Encouraging news for Nationals fans as Bryce Harper is already looking great in batting practice. Denver Post's Troy Renck has the latest:

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UPDATE: Saturday, June 22, at 1:15 p.m. ET by Kyle Vassalo

According to the Washington Post's Adam Kilgore, Bryce Harper isn't rushing his rehab and won't return before he's completely healthy:

This quote from Davey Johnson, via CBS Sports' Dayn Perry, makes it clear that Harper may not have as much say on when he returns as he thinks he does:

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"I'll have a conversation with him about that," Johnson said after being told of Harper's comments. "When a player starts playing, it's really up to me, what I think they need. Not up to the player. I'm always trying to do what's best for the player. But at the same time, it's my job to know when they're ready and when they're not."

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UPDATE: Friday, June 21, at 6:15 p.m. ET by Kyle Vassalo

CSN Washington's Chase Hughes provides an encouraging update on Bryce Harper's injury:

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"Bryce Harper is progressing in his recovery from left knee bursitis and is aiming for a rehab assignment Tuesday with the Single-A Potomac Nationals, Davey Johnson announced on Friday. "

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UPDATE: Thursday, June 20, at 5:11 p.m ET by Ian Hanford

According to Washington Post reporter Adam Kilgore, Harper is almost ready to return to the field:

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UPDATE: Wednesday, June 19, at 11:45 a.m. ET by Sam Westmoreland

The Washington Nationals finally got some good news regarding Bryce Harper, according to a report from the Washington Post's Adam Kilgore. 

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UPDATE: Monday, June 17 at 5 p.m. ET by Sam Westmoreland

Bryce Harper has been cleared to participate in ground-based activities, according to Amanda Comack of the Washington Times.

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UPDATE: Tuesday, June 11, at 7:20 p.m. ET by Ian Hanford

According to Washington Times reporter Amanda Comak, the plan is for Harper to sit out one week:

Comak also added details about Harper's procedure and some words from the Nationals' head trainer:

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Harper was given two injections, one of platelet-rich plasma and another of cortisone, in order to help combat the swelling and inflammation that has plagued him for two weeks. His knee was placed in an immobilizing brace and the 20-year-old will be reevaluated by the Nationals’ doctors in one week.

Another MRI done on his left knee again showed no structural damage to the ligaments or cartilage, but a specific timetable for when he may be able to return to the Nationals’ active roster remained unclear. They must first see how he responds to this treatment.

“These are all good things." said Nationals head trainer Lee Kuntz. "We want him to rest the knee, that’s why we put him in the immobilizer. We’ll reevaluate him in one week’s time and if everything’s a go, then we will resume activity with him and get him going as quickly as we can.”

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Harper had this to say about his recovery, Sports Illustrated's Scooby Axson:

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"I’m not going to rush it. I’m going to take as much time as I can to get it right. I want to get back in this lineup 100 percent. I don’t want to get back in it 80 percent."

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UPDATE: Tuesday, June 11, at 1:33 p.m. ET by Kyle Vassalo

According to The Washington Post's Adam Kilgore, Bryce Harper didn't undergo an operative procedure while meeting with Dr. James Andrews on Monday:

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Bryce Harper underwent “no operative procedures” in his Monday visit with orthopedist Dr. James Andrews, his agent Scott Boras said.

Harper was seen wearing a bulky knee brace at the Atlanta airport in a photo uploaded to Twitter. Boras described the knee brace “precautionary” and in place “just to keep [the] knee immobile.”

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UPDATE: Monday, June 10, at 11:13 p.m. ET by Eric Ball

Little information was released today regarding Harper's visit with Dr. Andrews, but Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post did have this tidbit of good news if you're a Nationals fan:

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UPDATE: Sunday, June 9, at 11:09 a.m. ET by Brandon Galvin

Bryce Harper (knee) will visit Dr. James Andrews to receive a routine second opinion on his injury, according to MASNsports.com's Dan Kolko.

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UPDATE: Thursday, June 6 at 4:55 p.m. ET by Sam Westmoreland

The injury isn't healing as fast as the team or Harper would like, and according to Amanda Comak of the Washington Times, a visit to the infamous Dr. James Andrews is in order:

Harper told Dan Kolko of MASN Sports that he never considered getting a cortisone shot in his knee. 

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UPDATE: Sunday, June 2, at 11:10 a.m. ET by Sam Westmoreland

Harper told reporters that he felt like he could have gone on the DL after running into the wall (per Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post) and that his knee hadn't shown any improvement as of yet, but he hopes to resume baseball activities by the end of the week, to return to the team by June 11 (per CSN's Mark Zuckerman). 

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UPDATE: Saturday, June 1, at 3:05 p.m. ET by Sam Westmoreland

Harper's move to the disabled list is official, according to MASN's Dan Kolko. 

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UPDATE: Saturday, June 1, at 1:15 p.m. ET by Kyle Vassalo

According to CBS' Jon Heyman, Bryce Harper has landed on the DL:

Amanda Comak of The Washington Times reports "the swelling and inflammation caused by the bursitis in his knee was not improving."

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UPDATE: Wednesday, May 29, at 6:10 p.m. ET by Eric Ball

Harper will not be in tonight's lineup against the Baltimore Orioles, according to Jon Morosi of Fox Sports: 

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UPDATE: Monday, May 20, at 6:53 p.m. ET by Tom Kinslow

Good news for Nationals fans, as Bryce Harper is back in the lineup for the Nationals, per Amanda Comak of the The Washington Times.

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UPDATE: Saturday, May 18, at 6:05 p.m. ET by Ian Hanford

According to Washington Post reporter Adam Kilgore, Harper isn't in the lineup Saturday night:

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UPDATE: Thursday, May 16, at 6:34 p.m. ET by Ian Hanford

According to Washington Times reporter Amanda Comak, Harper will return to the Nationals lineup Thursday night:

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UPDATE: Wednesday, May 15, at 7:47 p.m. ET by Ian Hanford

According to MASNSports.com reporter Dan Kolko, Harper will miss his second straight game Wednesday night:

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UPDATE: Wednesday, May 15, at 10:04 a.m. ET by Brandon Galvin

Bryce Harper is expected to undergo tests for nausea, according to Washington Post's Adam Kilgore. 

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While all sides agreed Harper does not have a concussion after he was tested Monday night, Johnson said Harper would 'probably' undergo more tests at some point because of the nausea.

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UPDATE: Tuesday, May 14, at 6:25 p.m. ET by Ian Hanford

According to MASNsports.com reporter Dan Kolko, Harper will miss Tuesday night's game: 

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UPDATE: Tuesday, May 14, at 1:15 p.m. ET by Tom Kinslow

Good news for Nationals fans, as Bryce Harper is day-to-day with a bruised left shoulder and left knee, per Nationals GM Mike Rizzo (via Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post). His X-rays were negative.

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UPDATE: Tuesday, May 14, at 12:43 p.m. ET by Kyle Vassalo

Bryce Harper weighs in on his injury, via Twitter:

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UPDATE: Tuesday, May 14, at 1:48 a.m. ET by Eric Ball

According to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post, Harper needed 11 stitches and jammed his shoulder in Monday's collision. He will undergo an X-ray: 

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During a night game May 13 against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the electrifying young outfielder crashed into the scoreboard and suffered a scary face injury in the process (via ESPN's Wells Guthrie):

See the full video here, via MLB.com.

Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post gives us a look at the brutal aftermath:

The Washington Times' Amanda Comak and Major League Baseball's Twitter feed have a couple of updates:

Comak goes on to note that Harper was able to walk off the field under his own power with the trainers, so that's a big positive. But this is something you never want to see happen, let alone to one of the game's up-and-coming superstars.

Going into Monday night’s game—in which he was 1-for-1 with two walks and two runs scored—Harper was hitting .297/.387/.619 with 10 home runs and 21 RBI, ranking among the National League’s top 10 in several different hitting categories.

But what makes Harper exciting—specifically, his propensity to play the game at 1,000 miles per hour—is often what gets him in trouble. Earlier this season, he injured the left side of his body when he ran into the wall in a game against the Atlanta Braves.

He managed to avoid a serious injury after that one, and hopefully the reigning NL Rookie of the Year is able to do the same after this unnerving crash. Fellow outfielder Denard Span feels Harper's competitive spirit may not even keep him out at all.

"He is a warrior. I guarantee he is going to try to play tomorrow," said Span (via Bill Ladson, MLB.com). "Thank God he is OK."

Roger Bernadina, who entered Monday hitting just .103, took Harper's place in right field.