Harper batted third and played right field Monday night in the opener of a three-game series at San Francisco.

Bryce Harper returned to the Nationals' lineup tonight after missing the previous two contests with swelling in his left knee. Harper tested the knee in the outfield this afternoon and determined he could play on it, although swelling and bruising remains from his collision a week ago with the fence at Dodger Stadium.

The Nationals will determine Bryce Harper's status for Monday's series opener in San Francisco tomorrow afternoon, Manager Davey Johnson said. Harper missed the past two games with swelling in his left leg, the most prominent lingering effect from Harper's collision last Monday with the right field wall in Dodger Stadium.

Bryce Harper will return to the lineup after he missed the past two days with swelling in his left knee, the most prominent lingering effect of his collision with the Dodger Stadium wall. Danny Espinosa, meantime, will sit in favor of Steve Lombardozzi at second base. Lombardozzi had three hits yesterday. Espinosa is mired in a 1-for-28 slump during which he has struck out 13 times, and he is hitting .163/.191/.296 for the year.

The Nationals will try to snap out of their offensive malaise tonight with a reconfigured lineup. They have received little production from the No. 2 spot in Jayson Werth's absence. Tonight, Manager Davey Johnson moved his best hitter, Bryce Harper, to the two spot.

Bryce Harper will miss tonight's game against the Padres and possibly tomorrow with bruising and swelling in his left knee, one of several lingering effects from his violent collision with the right field wall at Dodger Stadium on Monday in Los Angeles. Harper, who missed games Tuesday and Wednesday, may try to play tomorrow. He may return Monday in San Francisco.

There have been many parallels drawn between Bryce Harper and Robert Griffin III. For example, both seem talented far beyond their age, both were named rookie of the year, both play their sports a million miles an hour, both immediately attracted national endorsement deals, both are magnets for children, both combine on-field flash with a respect for their elders, and both have played their sports while wearing massive bandages on their chins.

Bryce Harper returned to the Nationals lineup tonight, still feeling banged up from his oft-replayed collision with the right field wall in Dodger Stadium. Harper will play left field tonight, with Roger Bernadina taking over in right.

Outfielder Bryce Harper remained out of the Nationals lineup with soreness tonight, two days after his violent collision with the right field fence at Dodger Stadium. Harper, unlike Tuesday, warmed up with the Nationals during batting practice, taking a full complement of swings and fielding balls in the outfield.

When Bryce Harper hit that that wall the other night and found himself on his back and confused, it lead some people to wonder if he had a concussion. While the team performed multiple tests and concluded that he didn't, Harper's admission on Tuesday that he was nauseous led people to speculate that the team was holding something back, and that he was, in fact, concussed.

The violent collision left the 20-year-old slugger with 11 stitches in his chin and a sore body.

The Nationals, as expected, placed catcher Wilson Ramos on the 15-day disabled list with a left hamstring strain and replaced him with Jhonatan Solano, who will back up Kurt Suzuki.

Bryce Harper will return to the lineup tonight after being out of the lineup the past two nights as he healed from a fierce collision with the right field fence. Second baseman Danny Espinosa, on the other hand, will get a night off after going 3 for his last 29.

The Nationals consider Bryce Harper "day to day" after his scary collision Monday night with the right field wall at Dodgers Stadium, General Manager Mike Rizzo said. Harper underwent X-rays on his left leg and left shoulder late last night, and both tests came back negative.