Washington Nationals Won’t Have Veteran for Undetermined Time Amid Positive Update
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The Washington Nationals' lineup suffered a few key losses recently, with the left side of their infield going down with injuries.
First, it was All-Star shortstop CJ Abrams, who was dealing with a strained right hip flexor. He battled through the injury for a few days before landing on the injured list, missing just under two weeks of action.
He returned to the lineup for the team’s series finale against the Baltimore Orioles on April 24, assuming his role as the team’s leadoff hitter once again. Only two rehab games were needed with Double-A Harrisburg before making his return.
In a corresponding move, the team optioned Trey Lipscomb back to Triple-A Rochester.
It was a decision that raised some eyebrows, as it meant Nasim Nunez would be remaining with the Major League club despite Abrams’ return to the lineup.
Lipscomb was promoted to take the place of the injured Paul DeJong, the team’s starting third baseman who was hit in the face by a pitch last week.
Could Lipscomb’s demotion mean that the veteran slugger was nearing a return to the field?
Not quite, as manager Dave Martinez revealed that he has no timetable to share about when DeJong could be back with the Major League club.
“I sure don’t,” the manager said via Mark Zuckerman of Masn. “But his spirits were high today, because he got good news about the eye.”
The good news that Martinez is referring to is the testing that his veteran third baseman underwent for his swollen left eye.
Some vision problems were created after being hit by the pitch, but doctors wanted to wait until the swelling went down a little bit before running tests.
The tests came back negative, as doctors determined there were no added causes for concern. His vision was also improving, along with the swelling going down.
Now, DeJong will undergo surgery to repair the nose fracture that was caused.
While no timetable was provided on when he could start a rehab stint en route to returning to the lineup, it was an overall encouraging update provided by Martinez.
DeJong had a .204/.246/.278 slash line through his first 57 plate appearances, yet to hit a home run but lacing four doubles with two RBI and two stolen bases.
While he was struggling at the plate, the veteran was providing solid defense at the hot corner with a dWAR of 0.2.
