WASHINGTON — Washington Nationals manager Davey Johnson had said he'd be giving slugger Bryce Harper the rest of the team's series with the San Diego Padres off.
Harper is mired in an 0-for-18 slump since hitting a home run in his first at-bat after being activated from the disabled list last week.
But Harper had other plans and they didn't involve time away from the lineup. Johnson said he received a text message from the young star after the Nationals' 8-5 win over the Padres on Friday night that said, in Johnson's words, "Play me or trade me."
"Since trading him is out of the question, I guess he's playing," Johnson said before Saturday's game.
Harper missed over a month of action with a knee injury after several run-ins with outfield fences, the most famous of which was in Los Angeles when he ran full speed into the wall. But he has a four-game hitless streak going, and Johnson thought some additional time for Harper to rest the knee could do the 20-year-old some good.
Harper, according to Johnson, feels differently.
Last year's National League Rookie of the Year is hitting .260 with a .362 on-base percentage and is slugging at a .544 clip this season. He has 13 home runs and has knocked in 25 runs.
No comments:
Post a Comment