Garrett thrilled to return to majors 13 months after gruesome injury

Stone Garrett stood in front of the same locker he occupied in the Nationals Park clubhouse last season, right next to good friend MacKenzie Gore, and smiled wide as he was asked what it felt like to be back here for the first time in 2024.

“It’s like getting called up to the big leagues again,” the outfielder said. “Honestly, it feels like the first time I ever got called up.”

Garrett is indeed back in the big leagues, even if for only a few days during the final week of the season. With Andrés Chaparro going on paternity leave, the Nationals called Garrett up from Triple-A Rochester, rewarding the 28-year-old for his perseverance following last year’s devastating left leg injury.

On Aug. 23, 2023, Garrett attempted to make a leaping catch at the right field wall in Yankee Stadium and fell to the ground in agony. He was eventually carted off the field, having suffered a broken left fibula. He also tore a ligament in his ankle on the play, which required “tightrope” surgery to be repaired and ultimately prolonged his full recovery from the gruesome injury.

Though he was able to play in the minor league games by mid-April and made it through the entire season with few interruptions, Garrett clearly wasn’t 100 percent for some time. The Nationals managed his workload, rarely playing him on back-to-back days during the first half. His power numbers regressed. His running form still didn’t look right.

“There was a point when I came back where I wasn’t thinking about competing. I was just surviving,” he said. “That’s when I knew I probably rushed it back too soon. Which was fine. I wanted to compete. Nobody rushed me back. I wanted to compete.”

Slowly but surely, Garrett’s leg began to feel normal again. He was able to play back-to-back days. And his production returned to more familiar levels. Since July 1, he has batted .302 with a .384 on-base percentage and .830 OPS, though he still sports only three homers for the season.

Garrett assumed his season would end in Rochester. Then the Nationals informed him and four other Triple-A teammates they wanted them to spend this week at the team’s spring training complex in West Palm Beach, Fla., keeping themselves in shape and ready in case the big league club had a sudden need.

So, Garrett was actually en route to Florida, with a layover at BWI Airport, on Sunday when Rochester manager Matt LeCroy called and said the Nats were calling him up to take Chaparro’s roster spot.

Garrett couldn’t believe it. He also realized he needed to go ahead and complete his flight to West Palm Beach because his luggage was already on the plane. So he wound up flying back to D.C. on Monday and was thrilled to walk to Nationals Park today to prepare to play in a major league game for the first time in 13 months.

Garrett isn’t in tonight’s lineup, and at best he may get a chance to pinch-hit or maybe serve as DH for a game. According to manager Davey Martinez, Chaparro said he wants to return after his three-day paternity leave expires, so Garrett’s stint here may not last long.

That doesn’t diminish the achievement, in his eyes.

“It shows myself I could do it. Because, honestly, I didn’t know,” he said. “Anybody with a major injury, you question if you’re going to be able to compete again. So, knowing I can compete again, it only goes up from here.”