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Come Fan with UsWednesday, June 24, 2026

Bryce Harper Could Miss Some Games After Bat Incident

Bryce Harper hit himself in the head with a bat Friday night, creating a wound that required stitches. (No, he didn’t do this on purpose.)

Bryce Harper of the Washington Nationals gets set to bat against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
Bryce Harper of the Washington Nationals gets set to bat against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
Bryce Harper of the Washington Nationals gets set to bat against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
Getty Images

Bryce Harper of the Washington Nationals is an intense player.

So intense that after making an out in the seventh inning of Friday night's game against the Reds, he smashed his bat on the dugout wall. Adam Kilgore picks up the story:

The bat caromed off the wall and smacked him above the left eye, drawing copious blood immediately.
Harper sheepishly emerged from the trainers room late Friday night, a golf ball-sized welt protruding from his forehead and clumps of blood in his hair.
“It doesn’t hurt at all,” Harper said, smiling. “I feel fine. I didn’t get light-headed at all or nothing. I feel good.“It was more than a “welt”; it was a cut requiring 10 stitches. Kilgore’s report says that Harper might have to miss “a game or two”, but:

“I think I’m good,” Harper said. “The doctor said I could play, so I’m going to play.”Update: Harper is in the Nationals’ lineup on Saturday, batting fifth.

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