DeJong placed on 10-day IL with fractured nose, Lipscomb recalled

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 his 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. He still has swelling around his eye, which will need to dissipate before doctors are sure he suffered no damage to the eye socket or cheekbone.

DeJong stayed at the hospital overnight for observation but was released earlier today. He is being driven back to Washington, avoiding the pressure of air travel.

"I'm sure he's going to go through some more tests, he's going to see specialists back in D.C.," Martinez said. "I talked to him yesterday, I talked to him today for a while. He's upbeat. He's doing well. The swelling has gone down a little bit. Hopefully all he has is a fractured nose and we can move on."

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, is starting tonight at third base, with 24-year-old José Tena (1-for-8 so far off the bench) available off the bench.

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.

"We definitely have some options," Martinez said, "but Rosario will play over there today."