Joy R. Absalon-USA TODAY Sports
Bryce Harper‘s rehab assignment has been going extremely well. After going hitting a double, drawing a walk and scoring in his first rehab game with Class-A Potomac, Harper then followed that with a home run in his second rehab game last night. His progression has many believing he’ll return to the Washington Nationals on Monday.
After banging into the outfield walls against the Atlanta Braves and the Los Angeles Dodgers in mid-May, Harper has been sidelined with knee bursitis in his left knee since May 26. After visiting Dr. James Andrews, the Nationals were assured that their diagnosis was accurate.
According to the Washington Post, Harper will be elevated to Double-A Harrisburg where he will play his first full nine-inning game today. After that, he is scheduled to rest on Friday and then play another nine-inning game on Saturday. If both games go according to plan and Harper has no setbacks, he’ll rest for one more day on Sunday and return to the Nationals on Monday against the Milwaukee Brewers to start a seven-game home stand.
The Nationals have struggled greatly without Harper in the lineup. While Anthony Rendon has been able to provide a spark in his absence, nobody on the roster can provide as big of a bang as Harper can. Despite being out for nearly a month now, Harper is still tied with Ian Desmond for the most home runs on the team. Harper also still leads the team in batting average and on-base percentage.
Brian Skinnell is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
