After placing third baseman Ryan Zimmerman on the 15-day disabled list with right shoulder inflammation, the Nationals promoted Bryce Harper from Class AAA Syracuse today .
The 19-year-old will make his major league debut Saturday at Dodger Stadium.
The Nationals made the final decision this afternoon, after Zimmerman visited a doctor in Los Angeles, who confirmed that the third baseman needed to rest his inflamed AC joint in his left shoulder.
“We thought that we needed to bring in an impactful left-handed bat,” said Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo of Harper.
Harper, the first overall pick in the 2010 draft, batted .286 in nine spring training games for Washington.
