Harper gets cortisone injection, won’t have surgery, Nationals trainer says

Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper will not have surgery on his swollen left knee, the team’s trainer said Tuesday.

The Las Vegas product was given a cortisone injection and will wear a brace to ensure he rests the joint, trainer Lee Kuntz said. Harper was given the shot after he visited noted orthopedist Dr. James Andrews on Monday in Pensacola, Fla. Kuntz said Tuesday that Harper will stay off the knee for a week.

“We’ll re-evaluate him in one week’s time to resume activities,” Kuntz said.

Kuntz said that Andrews confirmed the original diagnosis made by team doctors that Harper, who is on the 15-day disabled list, has patellar bursitis.

Harper was given the injection after consulting with the team’s doctors, hoping it will help ease the pain and swelling.

Harper also was advised to wear a heavy brace on his knee so he doesn’t place it under too much stress.

■ RED SOX — Clay Buchholz’s next start for Boston will be pushed back by at least two days.

Buchholz, 9-0 with a big league-best 1.71 ERA, left Saturday’s game against the Los Angeles Angels with what the team called “neck tightness.”

Red Sox manager John Farrell said Buchholz could resume throwing today and have a bullpen session Friday, which was the day of his next scheduled start. If all goes well, Buchholz might pitch Sunday.

Ryan Dempster will start Friday’s game at Baltimore.

■ RAYS — Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon watched the videotape and it didn’t change his mind that Boston’s John Lackey hit Rays leadoff hitter Matt Joyce intentionally Monday night.

Lackey’s pitch struck Joyce in the center of the back, which resulted in a bench-clearing scrum in the sixth-inning of Boston’s 10-8, 14-inning win.

Lackey and Boston manager John Farrell both insisted there was no intent.

Joyce had homered earlier and lined a 3-0 pitch foul into the right-field stands. The Rays outfielder shouted at Lackey after getting plunked but was restrained by Red Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia as players from both teams streamed out of the dugouts and bullpens.

Daniel Nava hit a tiebreaking single in the 14th inning as the Red Sox recovered after blowing two late leads to win Monday’s game that took 5 hours, 24 minutes — making it the second-longest game in Rays history.