Soto's spring debut delayed by foul ball off the foot

Juan Soto was all set to make his 2021 spring debut today in the Nationals' home opener in West Palm Beach, Fla. Then an errant foul ball foiled those plans and delayed the slugger's debut for at least a couple of days.

Soto fouled a ball off his right foot during a live batting practice session Sunday, manager Davey Martinez said. Though the Nationals aren't considering this a serious injury, they didn't want to risk putting their young star on the field today, a full month before the season opener.

"Just being cautious," Martinez said during his pregame Zoom session with reporters. "Said he feels OK, but we're just going to give him a day or two. See how he feels tomorrow."

Soto, like several other lineup regulars, did not make the short trip to Jupiter for Sunday's Grapefruit League opener against the Cardinals. Those who stayed back in West Palm Beach took live batting practice. In Soto's case, that session came against Todd Peterson, a minor league right-hander in big league camp this spring.

On one of his swings, Soto fouled off Peterson's pitch into an unprotected area of his front foot.

"These guys wear these big old shin guards, (but) it went underneath," Martinez said. "It got him pretty good."

Soto was due to start in right field this afternoon against the Astros. Now, with the Nationals not scheduled to face an opponent Tuesday - they'll work out on their own - the soonest the 22-year-old would make his 2021 debut would be Wednesday against the Marlins in West Palm Beach.

Though Soto was a scratch from today's lineup, Ryan Zimmerman is starting at first base and thus is playing his first game in nearly a year.

Zimmerman last appeared in a game March 10, 2020, when he went 0-for-3 against the Marlins. Two days later, of course, Major League Baseball shut down spring training as the still-new coronavirus began to disrupt American life. And when the league announced plans to play a 60-game regular season during the summer, Zimmerman chose to opt out because his wife had just given birth to the couple's third child and because his mother (who has multiple sclerosis) was considered high-risk.

Today, Zimmerman will start at first base and bat third against the Astros. He's expected to take two at-bats and play several innings in the field before calling it a day.

"He wanted to get out there, so he's going to play," Martinez said before adding with a laugh: "We didn't play him in February. It is March 1, so he has to go out there and play."

With Carter Kieboom also in today's lineup, the only projected everyday players on the roster who won't have appeared in a game will be Soto and catcher Yan Gomes. The veteran backstop figures to make his debut later in the week once one of the Nationals' veteran starting pitchers takes the mound.