Bryce Harper to sit out Thursday night, X-rays negative

Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper will sit out Thursday night's game against the Braves after crashing into an outfield wall, reports the Washington Post's Adam Kilgore via Twitter. X-rays were taken on Thursday morning and showed no structural damage, but the 20-year-old had a large contusion on the left side of his torso.

The play occurred while trying to rob Braves pitcher Tim Hudson of a home run during the Nats' 2-0 loss on Tuesday night. Harper, typically the center fielder, was playing right field because of leg injuries to Jayson Werth. He further aggravated the bruise on a check swing the following night and was taken out. Harper is hitting .337/.427/.705 and leads the NL in multi-hit games (12).