RADIO
Washington Nationals manager Matt Williams benched Bryce Harper from Monday’s game against the Cincinnati Reds for his altercation with teammate Jonathan Papelbon on Sunday.
Harper is being benched as a punishment for what happened in the Nationals dugout against the Philadelphia Phillies. The outfielder did not run out a pop fly in the bottom of the eighth, which triggered Papelbon to call him out on it. The Nats closer was on the bench because he pitched in the eighth inning, which meant he wasn’t hanging out in the bullpen. The teammates started arguing with one another until Papelbon started to choke Harper with both of his hands until other teammates broke up the fight.
Harper is out of today's lineup as punishment for his involvement yesterday. #Nats
— Chase Hughes (@chasehughesCSN) September 28, 2015
With the Nationals officially eliminated from postseason consideration, Harper was scheduled for a day off Monday anyway. He was likely going to sit out no matter what happened on Sunday. The 22-year-old will likely be back on the field on Tuesday, which is great news for fantasy baseball users.
Harper has been the best offensive player in the NL all season long. He has a .336 BA with 41 HR and 96 RBI.
