With Winker in NY, Wood bats third with Call promoted from Triple-A

ST. LOUIS – As Jesse Winker was speaking to New York media members at Citi Field, Alex Call was unpacking his bags at Busch Stadium, taking over the locker Winker occupied only 12 hours earlier.

And next door in the manager’s office, Davey Martinez was filling out a lineup card with a new No. 3 hitter and a new regular designated hitter. At least for today. Who knows what else could change in the next two days before Tuesday’s trade deadline arrives?

“These guys get it. They know this is a tough time of year,” Martinez said. “But they need to do their job, as we all do. It stinks, because they lose a friend, a teammate. We lose a good player. But we gain something that might help us in the future.”

The Nationals traded Winker to the Mets late during Saturday night’s 14-3 thumping of the Cardinals, acquiring Double-A right-hander Tyler Stuart but losing one of their most consistent offensive players this season. They now have to try to replace a guy who delivered a .374 on-base percentage and .793 OPS in 101 games.

The plan, for now: Harold Ramírez takes over as the regular DH, hoping to pick up right where he left off Saturday night, when he went 3-for-3 with three RBIs as Winker’s in-game replacement. Ramírez, though, will bat sixth in today’s series finale against veteran right-hander Miles Mikolas.

The new No. 3 hitter is James Wood, the 21-year-old phenom who had been dropped to fifth in recent days as he struggled but then notched the first four-hit game of his young career Saturday night.

The official replacement for Winker on the roster is Call, who was recalled from Triple-A this morning and made it to the ballpark about 90 minutes before first pitch. The 29-year-old outfielder went 5-for-16 with three walks during an earlier stint here this season and had a .362 on-base percentage and .775 OPS in 75 games with Rochester.

“Alex Call can give us versatility in the outfield,” Martinez said. “He can pinch-hit, now that Harold’s going to play DH. He can pinch-hit against left-handed pitching if we need him. He’s been here before. We know what we’re going to get from him. He’s going to play hard and compete. For right now, he’s the right guy.”

The key point there is “right now.” No one is assured of anything in these final days leading up to the deadline. That’s especially true for two veterans who are under club control through next season but could be dealt this week if anyone meets general manager Mike Rizzo’s high asking price: Lane Thomas and Kyle Finnegan.

Thomas is starting in right field and batting second, as he always does, this afternoon. If he is dealt, Call could step into right field in the short term. Martinez also mentioned that the club is hopeful that slugger Joey Gallo could return in two weeks from a hamstring strain and could figure into the team’s plans the rest of the season, whether at first base, right field or DH.