Bryce Harper

Bryce Harper (thumb) is not in Tuesday's lineup against the Diamondbacks.

Advice: Fortunately, X-rays came back negative on Harper's left thumb, but Nationals manager Dusty Baker wants to give him another day. There's a chance he could play on Wednesday. Brian Goodwin will make another start in right field on Tuesday.

More: Chelsea Janes on Twitter

Tue, 27 Sep Rotoworld

Nationals manager Dusty Baker said that X-rays on Bryce Harper's left thumb came back negative.

Advice: Good news for Harper, who injured his thumb on an awkward slide into third base on Sunday. The swelling has gone down and the thought is that he could be ready to play again later this week. He should be good to go for the postseason.

More: Byron Kerr on Twitter

Mon, 26 Sep Rotoworld

Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said Monday that they don't anticipate Bryce Harper's thumb injury to be serious.

Advice: Harper injured his left thumb Sunday when he was forced to make an awkward slide on a fake tag from Jung Ho Kang at third base. Rizzo hasn't seen Harper's X-rays yet, but we should have more clarity on the situation at some point in the next 24 hours.

More: Barry Svrluga on Twitter

Mon, 26 Sep Rotoworld

Bryce Harper (thumb) is absent from the Nationals' starting lineup on Monday night.

Advice: Harper injured his left thumb Sunday when he slid awkwardly into third base after a fake tag by Jung Ho Kang. He is scheduled to undergo X-rays at some point Monday. Brian Goodwin will start in right field and bat seventh in the Nationals' series opener against the Diamondbacks.

More: Mark Zuckerman on Twitter

Mon, 26 Sep Rotoworld

Bryce Harper is listed as day-to-day due to soreness in his left thumb.

Advice: The Nationals don't believe that his injury is serious, but he'll head for precautionary X-rays on Monday to make sure. Harper sustained his injury during Sunday's game when he slid awkwardly into third base after Jung Ho Kang faked a tag.

More: William Ladson on Twitter

Sun, 25 Sep Rotoworld

Bryce Harper departed Sunday's game against the Pirates with an apparent injury to his left hand.

Advice: Harper slid awkwardly into third base in the top of the third inning after Jung Ho Kang faked a tag and appeared to hurt his hand. He stayed in and wound up scoring a run but was then removed before the bottom of the frame. The Nationals should provide an update on Harper shortly.

More: Mark Zuckerman on Twitter

Sun, 25 Sep Rotoworld

Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post reports Nationals GM Mike Rizzo held a closed-door meeting with Bryce Harper, trainer Paul Lessard, and manager Dusty Baker to discuss Harper's right shoulder.

Advice: This impromptu discussion came soon after the second report from SI.com's Tom Verducci, in which Verducci again stated that Harper is playing through serious neck and shoulder discomfort. That story featured many intimate details, including a quote from one source stating that Harper "could barely throw the ball 40 feet" at one point this summer. "Bryce said it didn’t come from him," Baker told the Washington Post on Wednesday. "Nobody really knows where it comes from because it’s not on the injury report. The trainer said no." Whatever the case, the proof is in the pudding that Harper isn't anywhere close to 100 percent. The reigning National League MVP is batting just .172 in September and .223 since the beginning of July.

More: Washington Post

Thu, 22 Sep Rotoworld

Nationals manager Dusty Baker said Tuesday that Tom Verducci's SI.com report suggesting that Bryce Harper has continued to play through neck and shoulder discomfort is "inaccurate."

Advice: "I don't know where he's getting that from," said Dusty. This feels like deja vu, as Baker and Nationals GM Mike Rizzo also had to refute a similar story from Verducci back in early August. Harper is toting a .180 batting average in September and doesn't look anywhere close to 100 percent, but he is starting in right field and batting third for the Nats on Tuesday night against Marlins ace Jose Fernandez. The defending NL MVP refused to address the Verducci report (linked in a previous blurb) when probed about it on Tuesday afternoon.

More: Byron Kerr on Twitter

Tue, 20 Sep Rotoworld

Bryce Harper (shoulder, neck) is back in the Nationals' lineup on Tuesday.

Advice: Harper was given the night off Monday and Tom Verducci of Sports Illustrated reported Tuesday afternoon that the 2015 NL MVP is still struggling through shoulder and neck discomfort. But it's something Harper is going to continue to try to play through. He will start in right field and bat third Tuesday versus Marlins ace Jose Fernandez.

More: Chelsea Janes on Twitter

Tue, 20 Sep Rotoworld

Tom Verducci of SI.com hears that Bryce Harper continues to play through discomfort in his right shoulder/neck.

Advice: The Nationals previously denied a report on Harper's shoulder back in August, but manager Dusty Baker told Verducci last weekend that "the shoulder thing" has indeed bothered him. In fact, one source close to Harper told Verducci that at one point, the defending NL MVP "could barely throw the ball 40 feet." Verducci also relays a tidbit about Baker asking Harper why he played curiously shallow in right field over the weekend. After showing a bit of a resurgence at the plate last month, Harper is batting just .180 with three extra-base hits (including one homer) and a .613 OPS in 63 plate appearances this month.

More: SI.com

Tue, 20 Sep Rotoworld