PITTSBURGH – The fastball that struck Paul DeJong in the face Tuesday night fractured his nose, forcing the Nationals infielder to the 10-day injured list.
The Nats formally placed DeJong on the IL this morning and recalled infielder Trey Lipscomb from Triple-A Rochester to take his place.
DeJong was struck by a 93-mph, up-and-in fastball from Pirates right-hander Mitch Keller in the top of the sixth during Tuesday’s 3-0 victory at PNC Park, unable to turn his head away in time. The ball appeared to catch his left cheekbone and then the left side of his nose, leaving a cut below his eye and blood coming out of his nose.
Director of athletic training Paul Lessard and manager Davey Martinez rushed from the dugout to assist DeJong, who fell to the ground. Keller and Pirates catcher Henry Davis crouched down about 10 feet away, clearly upset by what they saw.
DeJong was able to get up to this feet and walk off the field under his own power, though he did struggle to maintain his balance as he went down the dugout steps and headed toward the clubhouse.
The veteran infielder was sent to a local hospital for X-rays and a CT scan, which revealed the fractured nose. The Nationals did not say if he also suffered any damage to his eye socket.
“We’re going to sit back, and hopefully I get a phone call soon after all the tests are run,” Martinez said following the game. “Hopefully he’s OK. We won’t make any decisions until probably tomorrow.”
Signed at the start of spring training for a modest $1 million, DeJong opened the season as the Nats’ everyday third baseman. His sparkling defensive play continued to make him a valuable member of the lineup despite his offensive struggles; he was 11-for-54 with four doubles, two RBIs, two walks and 24 strikeouts.
When CJ Abrams landed on the 10-day IL himself over the weekend, DeJong took over starting duties at shortstop and continued to provide stellar defense at his natural position.
Now the Nationals must prepare to move forward with an entirely new left side of their infield, at least until Abrams returns from his right hip flexor strain. Nasim Nuñez started at shortstop the last two nights and is 4-for-7 at the plate since his promotion from Triple-A. Veteran Amed Rosario, who hasn’t looked as comfortable in the field but is batting .300 with a .789 OPS, could take over at third base, with 24-year-old José Tena (1-for-8 so far off the bench) another option.
Lipscomb can also play third base and started 53 games at the hot corner last season. But the 24-year-old still must prove he can consistently hit big league pitching after struggling to a .500 OPS over 211 plate appearances last season as a rookie. He was off to a solid start with Rochester, batting .296 with a .392 on-base percentage in his first 13 games of the season.