Boras: Harper played with 'limitations' this year
Preseason can't come soon enough for the Washington Nationals.
After being eliminated in the NLDS by the Los Angeles Dodgers, with star outfielder Bryce Harper's health repeatedly questioned and Stephen Strasburg out with a flexor mass strain, agent Scott Boras - representative of both players - said the pair are expected to be ready for spring training in March, reports MLB Network's Jon Morosi.
Reports surfaced over the summer that Harper had been playing through a shoulder injury, which may explain an uncharacteristically quiet year at the plate, where he slashed .243/.373/.441 with 24 home runs.
The club vehemently refuted the reports, however, saying Harper told them he was fine. When asked if his client played through some discomfort in 2016, Boras only revealed the season wasn't a walk in the park for Harper.
"He's obviously played with limitations at times this year, no question," Boras said during the club's division series against the Dodgers, according to Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post. " … It's a very different year when you lead the league in walks and intentional walks, making the adjustment about how to handle how the league’s decided to take away what you normally have instead of challenging you.”
Strasburg's condition, meanwhile, was less contentious. The 28-year-old right-hander went on the disabled list in August before re-injuring himself in his first game back Sept. 7. Strasburg revealed he felt a "pinch" in his elbow during the brief return, before an MRI helped officially diagnose him with a forearm strain, ruling him out for the rest of the season.
Strasburg, who signed a seven-year, $175-million extension in May, crafted a 3.60 ERA in 24 starts this season.