The Washington Nationals came into the season with expectations of winning the National League East for the second time in three seasons, however now that outfielder Bryce Harper is expected to be out until at least July with a thumb injury, the path to an NL East crown has become more treacherous.
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The Nats left fielder is slated to undergo surgery on his left thumb Tuesday to repair his ulnar collateral ligament and multiple sources have reported that he is expected to be sidelined until early July.
Harper injured his thumb while sliding into third base on a bases-clearing triple during the team's 11-1 win over the San Diego Padres on Friday. Harper remained in the game but eventually departed an inning later.
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"I slid into the bag and I caught it a little bit," Harper said about his injury after the game via ESPN. "Went into the dugout, swung a couple in the cage, felt fine. Went out to the outfield, it swelled up a little bit. ... So I got in and got some treatment on it."
Harper is no stranger to early injuries as the young phenom missed 44 games last year in his sophomore season after he injured his knee by slamming it into the outfield wall at Dodger Stadium last May.
Harper, 21, is just the latest in a slew of injuries to key players on the Nationals (14-21, third place NL East) as catcher Wilson Ramos and third baseman Ryan Zimmerman are dealing with hand injuries and pitcher Doug Fister is ailing from a back injury.
With losses to key players and now the former NL Rookie of the Year, the Nationals will look to navigate their way through the early stretch of the season while sitting just a half-game behind the second place New York Mets and four games back from the first place Atlanta Braves.
While April injuries mean it's too early to panic, the Nationals will still have to play half of the season without their star left fielder due to the thumb injury. Washington is looking to bounce back from a disappointing 2013 season that saw the team finish 88-76 and miss the playoffs just one year after winning the NL East for the first time since moving from Montreal with a 98-64 record in 2012.
Through 22 games, Harper was hitting .289 with a homer, two triples and nine RBIs.
While April is too early to win or lose a division, the loss of Harper from the middle of the lineup for half of a season could prove to make the Nationals bid for their second NL East crown in three years that much harder.
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