An "emotional" first promotion to the majors for Casey

PITTSBURGH – Donovan Casey was sitting in a meeting with his Rochester Red Wings teammates Thursday afternoon, learning about nutrition, when manager Matt LeCroy told the group someone had just been called up by the Nationals.

Casey, a 26-year-old outfielder, just assumed it was one of the pitchers, probably a reliever. Until the name that came out of LeCroy’s mouth sounded a little too familiar.

“At the time, I was shoveling food in my mouth,” he said. “He says: ‘Donovan Casey, you’re going up.’ And I was like, huh? … It threw me off a little bit. It was a very emotional day. But I’m happy to be here.”

Casey was retelling the story Friday afternoon inside the visitors’ clubhouse at PNC Park, having indeed been the one who got the call-up to the big leagues for the first time, the shock now wearing off. He had spent the previous 24 hours letting his family and friends know the news, packing up his belongings and making his way with his wife from Rochester to Pittsburgh, where a major league uniform awaited him.

“Emotional,” he said of his phone calls to break the news. “Obviously, when I first told my wife I was getting called up, she was like: ‘Really?’ I was like yeah, I’m not messing with you. She was ecstatic. Honestly, she was more excited than I was. She’s been through the whole entire grind with me, all the ups and downs. I love my dad to death, but I had to tell her (first) because she’s been through thick and thin. It was very emotional.”

Because he grew up in the New Jersey suburbs of Philadelphia, Casey was able to get plenty of supporters to Pittsburgh in time for Friday night’s game. He needed tickets for at least 14 people: his wife, his parents and 11 friends from his hometown.

Casey didn’t make his first game appearance, instead watching the Nationals’ 7-2 victory over the Pirates from the dugout.

Manager Davey Martinez will have to find a way to work him into a game soon. The Nats outfield already has fewer starting spots than players seeking playing time, with Victor Robles, Lane Thomas and Yadiel Hernandez splitting at-bats between left and center fields so far while Juan Soto plays every day in right field.

Casey’s contributions likely will come off the bench, but that will require the right situation.

“He’s done well (at Triple-A),” Martinez said. “He’s got a few extra-base hits down there and he can play defense, he can run, he can steal a base. But he can play all three outfield positions. Right now, that’s somebody we need.”

Casey, who took the roster spot that opened up when Dee Strange-Gordon was placed on the injured list with an unspecified illness, had played both center and right field for Rochester during the season’s first week. He was scheduled to play left field on Thursday before he was summoned to join the Nationals and says he’s comfortable anywhere they put him.

At 26, Casey is old for a rookie. But with that advanced age comes some extra wisdom his younger teammates might not possess, notably when things aren’t going as well as he’d hope.

“The one thing I did learn was, especially this year, I’m a lot easier on myself,” he said. “Especially on bad games. I’ll be honest: If I started the year off 0-for-5 a year or two ago, I’d have probably hit the panic button automatically. But now it’s just baseball. Come in the next day and keep working and see what you can work on, and just put together quality at-bats.”

A year ago at this time, Casey was playing outfield for the Dodgers’ Double-A affiliate in Tulsa. Little did he know he’d be part of the biggest trade of the summer, one of the four prospects Los Angeles sent to Washington in exchange for Max Scherzer and Trea Turner.

Keibert Ruiz and Josiah Gray got the majority of the attention at the time of the deal, and both are now among the most important players on the Nationals roster. Casey and right-hander Gerardo Carrillo are less well-known, but the former is now in the majors alongside Ruiz and Gray, with Carrillo perhaps joining them before too long.

“Guys here already know your name,” he said. “When I’m walking in, it’s not like I’m the new guy on the block. At least they have an idea who I am. It was just a good feeling walking in to see JoJo, Keibert and everyone else here.”