Nats' Garrett broke leg on HR-robbing attempt
Written by I Dig SportsThe Washington Nationals placed Stone Garrett on the 10-day injured list Thursday, one day after power-hitting outfielder suffered a broken leg while trying to rob a home run.
Garrett suffered the injury during the seventh inning of Wednesday's loss to the Yankees when he made a leaping attempt at the right field wall to rob New York's DJ LeMahieu.
The Nationals did not disclose how long Garrett will be sidelined but announced Thursday that he has a fractured left fibula.
In a corresponding move, Washington recalled infielder Jeter Downs from Triple-A Rochester ahead of Thursday's series finale at Yankee Stadium.
"You never want to see anybody get hurt," Nationals manager Dave Martinez said Wednesday after Washington's 9-1 loss. "When he went down like that, my heart dropped. He was out there wincing. He's pretty hurt."
Garrett leaped at the wall and appeared to catch a spike from his left cleat in the wall's padding as the ball went over Yankee Stadium's short right field porch. He was prone on his back for six minutes as trainers from both teams attached an air cast and his Nationals teammates gathered.
Garrett was helped to his feet and moved to a cart, then was taken off the field to an ovation.
"I think it's tough," said Washington's Lane Thomas, who moved over from center field to right field when Garrett exited. "Just a little emotional for him. Seeing somebody that that happens to is not fun either."
Garrett, 27, is batting .269 with nine home runs and 40 RBI in 89 games this season, his first with the Nationals. He has been particularly productive against left-handed pitchers, hitting seven homers with an .839 OPS in 122 at-bats against southpaws, and also was heating up of late with a .378 batting average over his last 11 games.
"His at-bats have been good, but he's been playing defense really well," Martinez said. "It stinks for us because he is one of our everyday players out there who is having a really good year."
Garrett made his minor league debut in 2014 and played in Australia and Mexico before making his major league debut with the Diamondbacks on Aug. 17 last year. He hit .276 with four homers and 10 RBI in 27 games for the Diamondbacks, elected to become a free agent and signed with the Nationals.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.