Will Washington Nationals OF’s Injury Impact Timing of Dylan Crews Call-Up?
The buzz around the Washington Nationals on Friday was the impending call-up of their top prospect, outfielder Dylan Crews, to make his Major League debut on Monday against the New York Yankees.
But a sudden injury in Friday’s game could change all of that.
During Washington’s 3-2 loss to the Atlanta Braves, outfielder Alex Call injured his left foot in a play that looked serious. He went down in pain and had to be carted off the field.
Afterward he told reporters covering the team, including MASN Sports, that he’s been fighting plantar fasciitis the past few weeks.
He said he felt something in the foot “snap” while running in to make a play. By the time he spoke to reporters after the game he had already had an MRI and he may have torn the plantar fascia.
“I’m still kind of waiting for everybody to figure it all out, but apparently it might be a good thing,” he said. “You guys have probably seen me limping around the field, dealing with the plantar issue. So maybe this is kind of more of a snap to release some of the pressure that I’ve been feeling down there. When I heard that, I was really excited.”
Call had slashed .343/.425/.525/.950 in 30 games, with three home runs and 14 RBI.
His injury does put the Nationals in a bind, however.
Washington only has three outfielders listed on the active roster — Call, James Wood and Jacob Young. When Call left the game, the Nationals inserted Joey Gallo into the lineup. He has plenty of experience playing corner outfield.
He could continue to play the position. But, he’s hitting below .200 and the Nationals want to pit the left-handed hitting Gallo against right-handed pitching. Atlanta is set to start right-hander Charlie Morton on Saturday.
The larger issue is that Call will probably need a spot on the 10-day injured list. That will open up a spot on the active roster as early as Saturday.
It’s possible the Nationals could decide to call up Crews sooner. He’s with Triple-A Rochester and they’re in Pennsylvania for a series with Lehigh Valley. Crews led off and went 0-for-4 as the designated hitter on Friday.
With a 7:20 p.m. eastern game time on Saturday, the Nationals could easily call Crews up to make his MLB debut a bit sooner. Moving Call to the IL is the easy part. The Nationals would still need to open a spot on their 40-man roster for Crews.
The Nats’ first-round pick of a year ago is going to make his MLB debut. It’s just a matter of whether Call’s injury accelerates it.
MATTHEW POSTINS