Stevenson, Severino get promotions with Heisey, Raburn out

PHOENIX - In a perfect world, the Nationals wouldn't have promoted Andrew Stevenson to the big leagues for the first time in this manner, with a late-night phone call and an early-morning flight from Columbus to Phoenix in advance of a 1:10 p.m. ballgame.

But rarely does a baseball season play out perfectly, so when they lost Chris Heisey to a strained groin late in Saturday night's game against the Diamondbacks - after finding out earlier in the day Ryan Raburn needed to go on bereavement leave following his grandfather's death - Nationals decision-makers met briefly and made the call to promote Stevenson.

"We have contingency plans for everything," general manager Mike Rizzo said. "We have a depth chart of guys that we feel are next in line. You just have to roll with it. ... These decisions aren't made in a vacuum. We put a lot of time and effort and conference calls and meetings into what we're going to do if this happens. We're prepared for just about everything."

The chain of events that were necessary for Stevenson's promotion right now weren't conventional. Jayson Werth, Michael A. Taylor and Adam Eaton were already on the disabled list. Raburn and Heisey were being taken off the roster. Stevenson, the 23-year-old selected in the second round of the 2015 draft with fewer than two seasons of professional experience, was next on the depth chart.

"He's got the ability to be able to play here in the big leagues," Rizzo said. "Plus defender in three outfield spots. He gives you a left-handed bat and speed off the bench. A guy who's used to playing every day."

Stevenson isn't in the lineup today, not with All-Star left-hander Robbie Ray on the mound for Arizona, but he could come off the bench at some point to replace Wilmer Difo in left field for defensive purposes. It remains to be seen how long he stays in the big leagues, but for now he's too excited (and sleep-deprived) to think much about that.

"Not much sleep," he said. "Nerves. Excited. Kind of feels like Christmas morning."

Stevenson managed to get to the ballpark by 10 a.m. His father, who was in New Orleans watching his brother play in a tournament, managed to get a last-minute flight to Phoenix and will be at the game, as well.

The former LSU star made an impression this spring in his first big league camp, not only for his performance but his athleticism and effort, especially in the outfield.

"He's probably one of my favorite players to watch," catcher Pedro Severino, who also was called up from Triple-A Syracuse this morning, said through interpreter Octavio Martinez. "The way he goes about playing the game, very aggressive, hustles. He mentally doesn't let the game get to him. He's very mentally strong. And he goes about it the right way. He's just exciting to watch."

Stevenson, who was hitting only .246 at Syracuse after hitting .350 at Double-A Harrisburg to earn his first promotion of the season, said that style of play has always come naturally to him.

"My dad and my coaches growing up, they were big on: If you're there, you might as well put all the effort you have into it," he said. "That's what I've taken and tried to run with ... literally. So that's something I've always done in my career."

Severino's promotion may come as a surprise to some who wonder why the Nationals need a third catcher. But Rizzo said the fact he was already on the 40-man roster, has big league experience and gives Dusty Baker the ability to pinch-run for starting catcher Matt Wieters helped make that decision easy.

Touted as the organization's top catching prospect, Severino has struggled at the plate this season, hitting .221 with a .580 OPS at Syracuse. The 24-year-old, who started two games in last fall's National League Division Series after Wilson Ramos was injured, said he has felt better in recent weeks thanks to some adjustments.

"Early in the season, I was swinging at a lot of pitches out of the zone," he said. "Pitches that were low in the zone, I was swinging, just trying to be aggressive. So I started being more selective in my pitches, starting zoning in, taking a lot more pitches, being patient. That's helped me a lot."