Garrett heading back to D.C. with fractured fibula

NEW YORK – Stone Garrett has a fractured left fibula and is headed back to Washington for further tests and potentially surgery, though the Nationals are cautiously optimistic the outfielder’s injury is not as bad as it initially appeared Wednesday night.

The Nats placed Garrett on the 10-day IL today and recalled infielder Jeter Downs from Triple-A Rochester to take his roster spot. That’s not an indication he’s expected to return soon, though. Teams rarely place an injured player immediately on the 60-day IL, saving that transaction until they need to clear a 40-man roster spot for someone else.

Garrett hurt himself trying to make a leaping catch of DJ LeMahieu’s seventh-inning homer to right field, his left foot getting caught in the padded wall as he tried to climb it. He fell to the ground and writhed in pain until manager Davey Martinez and director of athletic training Paul Lessard could get to him.

After a seven-minute delay, Garrett was helped to a nearby cart, an air cast placed around his left leg. He got X-rays at Yankee Stadium and was still at the ballpark after the game, assisted by Lessard as he showered and got dressed, then greeted by teammates and others who offered words of support.

Garrett is now on his way back to D.C., where lead team physician Robert Najarian will administer more tests, including an MRI, to determine the extent of the fracture and possibly perform surgery. The initial indication was that the injury was limited to his lower leg, not his ankle or knee.

“They saw the fracture,” Martinez said today. “So now he’s going to go back and see Dr. Najarian. They’ll do some other procedures, and then we’ll know more as the next couple days go by.”

A somber Nationals clubhouse Wednesday night was more upbeat this morning, players having had a chance to see Garrett and recognize his injury could’ve been much worse. The chiseled 27-year-old has become a popular figure among teammates and had worked his way into the everyday lineup while producing a .929 OPS over his last 39 games.

“Guys look up to him,” Martinez said. “He has a nickname: We call him ‘Skinny.’ As we all know, he’s not. But that’s what he was in there. He was one of the guys that was always upbeat, but played really hard.”

The Nats’ immediate move to replace Garrett on the roster was to promote Downs, only three days after he was optioned to Triple-A to make room for third baseman Carter Kieboom. That may be only a temporary move, though, with the team wanting to add a true outfielder in the coming days.

For now, the Nationals have only three full-time outfielders on the roster in Lane Thomas, Alex Call and Blake Rutherford. Thomas and Call are starting today, with Jake Alu in left field and Rutherford on the bench. Joey Meneses, Ildemaro Vargas and Michael Chavis are also capable of playing the outfield, and Martinez specifically said Meneses would start taking more balls in left field during batting practice in anticipation of playing in games out there.

 “We’ve got a lot of moving parts,” Martinez said. “We’ve got guys who can play multiple positions. We might try some different things. For right now, let’s try to get through today. I’ll speak to (general manager Mike Rizzo) after the game, and then we’ll figure out what we’re going to do next.”

* Keibert Ruiz was scratched from today’s lineup after taking a foul ball off his mask Wednesday night and later reporting a headache. The young catcher wound up coming out of the game late, replaced by Riley Adams, who will start today’s series finale.

“He felt a little lightheaded,” Martinez said. “We didn’t play him today; he’s out of the lineup today. I just want to be cautious. We’ll see how he feels after today.”