Davey Johnson says Bryce Harper is likely done for season with hamstring strain

According to Ben Goessling of MASNSports.com, Nationals manager Davey Johnson just confirmed what most of us already assumed. Bryce Harper, who suffered a right hamstring strain while running the bases in a game with Double-A Harrisburg last night, will likely be shut down for the rest of the season.

“He probably won’t play the rest of the year, as far as I know,” Johnson said. “There’s only a few days left. You take a chance of aggravating it, and it becomes more of a serious injury.”

Of course, saying “shut down for the season” sounds pretty harsh, but missing the final two and a half weeks of the minor league schedule really isn’t a big deal. The Nationals haven’t given an official update on his condition yet, but if they rest him now, there’s still a very good chance he’ll be ready to play in the Arizona Fall League in October. Missing that would be a shame.

Harper, 18, made a mockery of the Sally League to begin the season, batting .318/.423/.554 with 14 home runs and a .977 OPS with Class A Hagerstown, but has looked his age against more advanced competition, batting .256/.329/.395 with three homers and a .724 OPS over 147 plate appearances since being promoted to Double-A Harrisburg in early July. Still, quite a debut for the 2010 No. 1 overall pick.

UPDATE: Mark Zuckerman of CSNWashington.com reports that Harper is being placed on the seven-day disabled list with Double-A Harrisburg. Not ruled out for the rest of the season yet, but it’s still highly unlikely he’ll return.