WASHINGTON -- The news is not as bad as it looked for Washington Nationals star Bryce Harper about 12 hours after he was injured in the bottom of the first inning Saturday night against the San Francisco Giants.The right fielder and 2015 National League MVP has a bone bruise in his left knee but no ligament damage, general manager Mike Rizzo told reporters at Nationals Park on Sunday morning. The Nationals hope he can return at some point this season."We dodged a bullet here," said Rizzo, who emphasized the Nationals will be cautious in Harper's recovery process. "We're optimistic we'll see him this season."Harper collapsed in a heap after he went flying through the air after his spike slipped on a wet first base bag while trying to beat out a groundball Saturday in a game that began three hours and one minute late due to a rain delay.Harper was put on the 10-day disabled list Sunday and outfielder Michael A. Taylor, who played both games of a doubleheader Saturday in Hartford, Conn., was... [More]

RF Bryce Harper left Washington's game in the first inning Saturday night against the San Francisco Giants with a left knee injury. According to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, preliminary tests by Nationals doctors reveal that Harper has a torn ACL and PCL. An MRI was scheduled for Sunday.

RF Bryce Harper, the National League MVP in 2015, left the game in the last of the first inning Saturday night against the San Francisco Giants after his left foot slipped on the first base bag as he tried to beat out a ground ball to first baseman Ryder Jones. "We know he hyperextended it when he slipped going across the bag. He's going to get an MRI," manager Dusty Baker said. "We just ask for prayers that it's not serious. We're just urging everybody out there that are Nationals fans and baseball fans to say a prayer for him tonight because he was in obvious pain out there. We're just hoping for the best." On the play, Jones fielded the ball and beat Harper to the bag as pitcher Jeff Samardzija raced over to cover just in case. Harper fell to the ground and held his left knee for several minutes. He was helped off the field and did not put any weight on his left leg as athletic trainer Paul Lessard and hitting coach Rick Schu helped him to the clubhouse. The start of the game was delayed 3 hours, 1 minute by rain Saturday and there was a light rain in the top of the first inning. Harper is hitting .326 with 29 home runs and 89 RBIs in 106 games and 402 at-bats for the first-place Nationals.

RF Bryce Harper was suspended in April for charging the mound after he was hit by a pitch by RHP Hunter Strickland of the Giants. Washington manager Dusty Baker was asked Friday if anything will linger from that series in San Francisco. "I don't know. That is a long time. It is kind of on (Strickland). Bryce, he is not pitching," Baker said.

RF Bryce Harper hit the 150th homer of his career on Monday, and the 29th of the season. He is now hitting .327 on the year with 82 RBIs. "It is a great milestone," manager Dusty Baker said of Harper's 150th career homer.

RF Bryce Harper hit his 28th home run Saturday off Cubs RHP John Lackey. According to the Cubs, Harper became the third visiting player -- and second from the Nationals -- to hit a home run off the right field videoboard. Washington's Denard Spain also accomplished the feat on May 25, 2015.

RF Bryce Harper has a 12-game hit streak during which he is 21-for-50 (.420). Harper, who turns 25 in October, is getting ready to break the bank. He is earning "just" $13.6 million this year and $21.6 million in 2018 ... but then he is a free agent, and only the wealthiest of teams need apply for his services. With a 1.048 OPS, Harper is on another level and is perhaps the best player in the National League. He is hitting .327 with 26 doubles, 27 homers and 80 RBIs. Only Yankees OF Aaron Judge leads Harper in OPS.

OF Bryce Harper has fallen into a mini-slump since extending his career-best hitting streak to 19 games Thursday against Milwaukee. Harper was retired in his last two at-bats against the Brewers, then went a combined 0-for-10 in the three-game series against Colorado. It's only the fourth time all season Harper, who grounded out as a pinch hitter in the nightcap, has gone hitless in consecutive games.

OF Bryce Harper (0-for-4) saw his 19-game hitting streak and 27-game on-base streak end in Saturday night's 4-2 loss to the Colorado Rockies. Both were career highs. During the hitting streak, Harper batted .429 with seven doubles, nine home runs, 21 RBIs, 12 walks and 26 runs scored. For the season, he's batting .334. He hit .330 in 2015, his career best.

WASHINGTON -- The Washington Nationals tied a franchise record Thursday with eight home runs in one game -- including four in a row in the third inning -- as they hammered the Milwaukee Brewers 15-2.Brian Goodwin, Wilmer Difo, Bryce Harper and Ryan Zimmerman hit consecutive homers in the third inning off Milwaukee's Michael Blazek (0-1), making Washington the first team to accomplish the feat since Arizona in 2010.Anthony Rendon later homered in the same inning as the Nationals became the sixth team in major league history to rack up five in one frame -- the first since Milwaukee in 2006. Harper and Zimmerman each finished with two home runs and Jose Lobaton also went deep as Washington equaled Montreal's eight-homer output of July 30, 1978, against Atlanta.Blazek, making a spot start in place of the injured Matt Garza, was roughed up, barely recording more outs (seven) than home runs allowed (six) in his 2 1/3 innings. The beleaguered Brewers bullpen was forced to turn to left fielder... [More]

OF Bryce Harper blasted a first-inning home run to extend his hitting streak to 19 games, tied with Kansas City's Whit Merrifield for the longest hit streak in MLB this season. Harper has also reached base a career-high 27 straight games. Harper homered again and doubled in the game.

OF Bryce Harper extended his career-high hitting streak to 18 games with a first-inning single. He finished the night 1-for-4 but was ejected for the second time this season in the eighth inning after striking out. Harper and Houston's Jose Altuve have the longest active streaks in MLB this season.

OF Bryce Harper extended his career-high hitting streak to 17 games with an eighth-inning double. He has reached base for 25 straight games.

RF Bryce Harper extended his hitting streak to 16 games -- the longest active in the majors with a single in the first inning Sunday at Arizona. The All-Star is batting .438 (28-for-64) with five doubles, one triple, seven homers, 17 RBIs and 23 runs scored during the streak. He's also reached base in 24 consecutive games. He already has 25 home runs, one more than a season ago.

OF Bryce Harper extended his hitting streak to 15 games, the longest active streak in MLB, with a tape-measure solo homer in the first inning. Harper also has reached base in 23 straight games, the second-longest streak of his career (26 in 2015). Harper also hit his 25th homer, surpassing his 2016 total.

RF Bryce Harper extended his career-high hitting streak to 14 games with a double in the fourth inning that broke up D-backs RHP Zack Godley's no-hitter. He was 1-for-3 with two walks, and was robbed of a single on a divine stop by Arizona SS Ketel Marte in the top of the ninth inning. Harper is hitting .463 with four doubles, a triple, six homers, 15 RBIs and 102 walks during the streak.

RF Bryce Harper was not in the starting lineup against the Angels, getting a day off for rest. Nationals manager Dusty Baker wanted to give his position players who were on the All-Star team a day off in the first series after the break, and 1B Ryan Zimmerman and 2B Daniel Murphy each got a day off when the club opened the second half in Cincinnati. Harper, though, asked that the day off come when the club would be in Anaheim so he could spend time with family who traveled from Harper's hometown of Las Vegas to visit him. OF Chris Heisey started Wednesday in right field in Harper's place.

RF Bryce Harper extended his hitting streak to 13 games, tying his career high, with his fourth four-hit night of the season Tuesday. He hit his 24th home run, two singles and a triple, scoring the go-ahead run in Tuesday's 4-3 win over the Angels. He is hitting .470 with five home runs and 14 RBIs during the streak.

OF Bryce Harper extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a fourth-inning single. Harper hit two home runs in the first game of the series. He is 17-for-39 .436 during the streak. Harper has reached base in 18 straight games.

RF Bryce Harper went 1-for-1 with a walk and a stellar catch in the All-Star Game. Harper made a brilliant diving catch in right-center field, saving what might have been extra bases and an RBI off the bat of Royals C Salvador Perez. "I was just trying to get over there so that ball didn't drop in and they score that run," said Harper, who did a hair flip after making the grab. "Pitching is so good here that I was thinking that one or two runs could win the ball game."