Nationals Star Luis Garcia Jr. Suffers Injury Against Braves Right Before Deadline
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Friday could be looked back upon as a disastrous day for the Washington Nationals when this season comes to an end.
Not only did they lose to the Atlanta Braves to go back under .500 and put themselves further back in the wild card race, but one of their best offensive players and trade chips also exited the contest early due to an injury.
In the top of the seventh inning, Andres Chaparro replaced Luis Garcia Jr. despite a right-handed pitcher being on the mound. That was an unusual thing when looking at how Blake Butera manages a game, so there was some thought that Garcia might have been traded during the game. That wasn't the case, though, as the breakout slugger was removed from the lineup due to right knee soreness.
Luis Garcia Jr. Now Dealing With Knee Soreness Before Trade Deadline
At the time of writing, the Nationals did not reveal if Garcia would need to undergo further testing or if he is expected to miss any action. However, this issue popped up at the worst time for both Washington and Garcia, as his offense has been crucial to their success up to this point of the year.
Thankfully, it seems like this is nothing major. Per Mark Zuckerman of Nats Journal, Garcia said he suffered the injury when he slipped coming out of the box in the first inning. He played through it, but it kept getting tighter the deeper into the game he went, which eventually caused Butera to pull him from the contest. Butera also added that he expects Garcia to be healthy enough to play on Saturday, which is a great sign.
Now it's up to the front office to weigh everything related to Garcia and where Washington stands when it comes to their commitment to pushing for the playoffs. If the Nationals drop their next two games against the Braves, then it would be wise for them to start shipping out their best assets, which would mean that Garcia could be one of the first players who gets dealt based on the interest teams around the league have in him.
Overall, the good news is that it seems like Garcia did not suffer a major injury. So if Washington decides to hold onto him through the upcoming trade deadline, then he should be able to continue being a key part of this offense.
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Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he worked at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad became the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continued to cover Penn State athletics. Currently, Brad is the Publisher for Washington Nationals On SI and covers multiple teams across the On SI network. He is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, where he and his co-host discuss topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai