Now, with less than a month left in the regular season, we learn Harper supposedly has had hip pain since crashing into the outfield wall on April 29th. He stayed in the lineup in spite of hurting his ribcage that day and then played on after another date with the wall on May 13th when he hurt his left knee. As any headstrong athlete might – but especially one who is a stubborn twenty year old – Harper continued to take the field, aggressively, though less productively, until aggravating the knee with a headfirst slide on May 25th. The diagnosis was bursitis and was secondary to the trauma from contact. Harper ultimately voiced his regrets for playing hurt – doing so likely compounded his recovery time.
Well, it seems Harper was giving lip service to having learned that lesson. Only after reportedly limping around the field and base paths these last few days did he admit his sore left hip was getting in the way. Evidently the player has been receiving treatment on the hip from the training staff for an undisclosed period of time.
