Bryce Harper Likely to Begin Season in Minors

This weekend we found out that Washington Nationals top prospect Bryce Harper would be forced to miss at least three games due to an injured right calf.  With his chances of making the Nationals Opening Day roster already being slim, the injury certainly didn’t help Harper’s hopes.  While nothing has been made official by the Nationals, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com is reporting that there is “strong speculation” that Harper will begin the season in the minors with a mid-year call up “hoped for”.

This is what many expected when the spring began, though the Nationals tried to make it clear that Harper was in a real competition for a roster spot.  Manager Davey Johnson campaigned for Harper, and the Nationals said publicly that they would consider shifting players around if their phenom forced his way onto their roster this spring.

While fans want to see the very best players their team has to offer, the club has several other circumstances to take into consideration.  In this case the Nationals have the ability to delay Harper’s free agent clock by starting him in the minors this season.

With Harper starting the spring off strong, it appeared the Nationals could have a difficult decision to make.  Now, it seems as if Harper’s calf has made the decision for them.

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