Bryce Harper's MVP-caliber season took a bad turn when he injured his leg on a throw Thursday during the Washington Nationals 5-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays at Nationals Park.
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The right fielder sustained a left hamstring injury on a throw to home when he planted his right foot and took an awkward tumble in the sixth inning. His knee buckled as he fell to the ground and he held his left leg while he was on the grass before walking off the field gingerly.
The injury occurred on an Asdrubal Cabrera single.
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"I've had problems with my left knee before -- I've had surgery on it," Harper said after the game, according to ESPN. "So you know, it was definitely really scary."
Nationals manager Matt Williams told the media that there is no certainty over whether or not Harper will need a disabled list stint, but he also said the strain was mild and that the two-time All-Star will be re-evaluated on Friday.
Harper, for his part, seemed to think it would only keep him sidelined day-to-day, but he also expressed a need to be cautious.
"Be smart about it, of course," Harper said. "I want to be in there, but if I don't feel right tomorrow, then maybe taking that day off might help me a little bit."
Harper has dealt with lower-body injuries throughout his career and also had a thumb ligament ailment last season.
Harper, 22, went 1-for-3 in the game with an RBI before his exit and he is enjoying a fantastic season up to this point.
The outfielder leads the MLB with 54 walks, a .476 on-base percentage, a .720 slugging percentage and a 1.197 OPS.
Harper is also tied for second in the entire league in homers (22), third batting average (.344), RBI (53) and total bases (157) and tied for fourth in runs (49).
The Nationals have enjoyed a good campaign, but they've been far below expectations thus far in 2015. Entering a weekend series with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Washington owns a 34-33 record and sits 1.5 games behind the New York Mets in the National League East.
An extended loss of Harper to an already injury-riddled team would be a huge problem for the underachieving Nationals.
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