WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – As established players get their bodies ready for the regular season and players on the bubble battle for the final available roster spots, Stone Garrett still finds himself just trying to get his body reason for a full ballgame of any type.
Garrett, still recovering from a broken leg and injured ankle seven months ago, continues to get closer to his goal. But he’s not there yet.
The 28-year-old outfielder is now playing six or seven innings in minor league games, able to play the field and run the bases. But he hasn’t been able to play the full nine innings yet. And he won’t be appearing in any Grapefruit League games before the Nationals wrap things up this weekend and head north.
“He’s still got to go out there and repeat that every day now,” manager Davey Martinez said. “I think it’s still going to be some time. We’ll see. I know he’s itching to play a game down here with us. But I want to make sure we do the right thing for him. He’s pushing himself, which is great. But I want to make sure we check all the boxes, and he’s ready to go when he’s ready to go.”
Garrett came to spring training hoping to be ready to start the season on time, and the Nationals didn’t want to discourage him from shooting for that goal. But over the ensuing weeks, it became clear that was too optimistic. He looks fine at the plate, and he’s able to play in the outfield. But running continues to be the biggest obstacle, not to mention the recovery from one day’s activity to the next.
