Bryce Harper shaved his beard and everyone made the same Yankees joke

Nick Wass/AP

Washington Nationals star Bryce Harper appearing newly clean-shaven in the dugout.

• Bryce Harper, one of the biggest stars in baseball, shaved off his beard, a well-known part of his look, before a game with the Yankees. 
• Harper is an impending free agent and has often been linked to the Yankees, who have a strict dress code that bans facial hair.
• So, social media commenters remarked that Harper getting rid of his facial hair was a sign that he was planning to sign for the Yankees. 
• However, that is probably not the case. 

Bryce Harper is set to become one of the most coveted free agents in baseball at the end of this season, so, naturally, speculation abounds that the New York Yankees, as they do, would make a big move for him.

But there has been one problem with picturing Harper in pinstripes - Harper would violate the Yankees' infamous dress code, which stipulates that players are banned from having facial hair, and Harper has long sported a thick beard.

Until last night. 

In a game against, yes, the New York Yankees, Harper appeared newly clean shaven. And Twitter, never the group to miss an obvious joke and/or speculate wildly, reacted accordingly. 

Of course, it is worth saying that just because Harper shaved his beard does not mean he is a lock to go to the Yankees, and conversely, if Harper really wanted to go to the Yankees he still does not need to shave until after signing the contract. 

Des Bieler of the Washington Post speculates that Harper's new look might have more to do with the sweltering heat currently heating Washington D.C., or maybe just that Harper is trying to mix things up in order to get out of a slump that has now gone on for two months.