Candelario back in lineup, Hill remains in organization

Jeimer Candelario is back in the Nationals lineup after one day off with a knee injury, but he’s not back at third base yet.

Candelario, who was struck in the right knee with a pitch during the 10th inning of Thursday’s loss to the Reds, sat out Friday night’s series opener against the Rangers. He attempted to take swings in the cage prior to the game but wasn’t comfortable doing it.

The 29-year-old gave it another try today and felt better, telling manager Davey Martinez he could hit but probably not play the field. So he’ll serve as designated hitter for this afternoon’s game.

“We talked to him; he said he could hit,” Martinez said. “We’ll just DH him today, and hopefully by tomorrow he’ll get back on the field.”

The Nationals sorely missed Candelario’s bat during Friday’s loss, one that saw them score only two runs, each via Joey Meneses solo homers. Candelario has statistically been the team’s second-best hitter this season, trailing only Lane Thomas with 12 homers and an .814 OPS. He’s also second in the National League with 27 doubles.

Given that Candelario is on a one-year, $5 million deal and is expected to be the Nats’ most tradeable asset before the Aug. 1 deadline, it would understandable if the organization wanted to go to extra lengths to keep him healthy for the next several weeks.

With the All-Star break beginning Monday, why not just sit Candelario through the rest of the weekend and give him more time to recover before next Friday’s second-half opener in St. Louis?

“If he’s good to go, he’s good to go,” Martinez said. “He wants to continue swinging the bat. He doesn’t want to take that much time off. We’ll get him out there, get him some at-bats today. And if he feels good enough tomorrow, he’ll go back to third base. If not, we’ll see how he feels and go from there.”

With Candelario serving as DH today, Meneses shifts to first base for the second time this week, hoping to keep his bat hot following Friday’s two-homer performance. That bumps Dominic Smith (3-for-17 with five strikeouts on this homestand) to the bench.

* Derek Hill, who was designated for assignment this week, cleared waivers, leaving the outfielder with a decision to make. Because he had previously had an outright assignment while a member of the Mariners organization last fall, Hill had the right to refuse this one and become a free agent. He chose to stay with the Nationals, though, so he’ll report to Triple-A Rochester but no longer be part of the club’s 40-man roster.

Hill batted just .170 with one double, one RBI, one stolen base and a .411 OPS across 50 plate appearances during a two-week stint as the Nats’ everyday center fielder. His prior success at Triple-A (.320 average, .903 OPS in 52 games) and strong defensive skills could still earn him another shot in D.C. at some point.

“If he goes back down there and starts working on his swing, getting it back to where it was when he was down there the first time, he’s a guy who’s got a lot of skill,” Martinez said. “He can run, play all three outfield positions. He’s valuable because he can play center field. We’ll get him back on track, and hopefully, he comes back up here and helps us win some games.”