With Turner sidelined, Nationals turn to several replacements

ST. LOUIS - The Nationals don't know yet exactly how long they're going to be without Trea Turner, but they know they're going to have to make do without their dynamic leadoff man and shortstop for a significant amount of time.

And in their quest to make do, they're going to have to ask for multiple things from multiple players.

"We've got to carry on," manager Dusty Baker said before tonight's series opener against the Cardinals. "You can't bring the injury back. We can talk about it, or we can try to do something about it. That's part of my job, to make it easy to replace that on both sides of the ball. Like I said, just another challenge for us."

The non-displaced fracture in Turner's right wrist, suffered when he was hit by a pitch late in Thursday's game against the Cubs, most likely will keep the young infielder out something in the range of eight-to-10 weeks, based on the recovery time for other players who have dealt with similar injuries. The Nationals will have a clearer idea once Turner gets a new X-ray on the wrist in two weeks, revealing how much the bone has healed to that point and how he can progress in his physical activities.

In the meantime, Baker's biggest challenge is figuring how best to compensate of the loss of Turner, recognizing it will require a combination of players taking on added responsibilities.

Stephen Drew will be the primary shortstop in Turner's absence. The Nationals could do far worse than a 34-year-old with a career .744 OPS who started in the big leagues for a decade before shifting to a reserve role last season.

Drew's offensive numbers - a .284 batting average and .858 OPS - have been even better in his two years in Washington, and he said he'll simply try to focus on doing what he does best and not try to suddenly transform himself into another Turner.

"I'm not going to be Trea," he said. "I'm not going to steal bags. I'm going to try to do what I've been doing all year. Defense-wise, it's nothing new to me there. Nothing's going to change. It's just unfortunate that we lose a good player like Trea."

Given Drew's age, not to mention his value as a pinch-hitter in key late-inning situations, Baker also intends to give Wilmer Difo regular starts at shortstop, banking on the 25-year-old's athletic skill to make up for his lack of experience.

"Because you don't want wear Drew out, either," Baker said. "He's not used to playing every day. It might be a couple days on, then a day off, a couple days on. It just sort of depends."

Baker also intends to mix-and-match when it comes to accounting for the sudden hole at the top of his lineup. Brian Goodwin is getting the first crack at leading off tonight, with Michael A. Taylor bumped up to the No. 2 spot, but the manager said he may flip-flop those two depending on a particular night's matchup.

Both Goodwin and Taylor have performed admirably in the last month, each taking over for an injured veteran - Goodwin for Jayson Werth, Taylor for Adam Eaton - but they now find themselves in new spots in the lineup. What, then, does Baker want each young hitter to change about his approach batting high up in the order?

"Nothing," the manager said. "I already talked to them. I just want you to do what you been doing. Don't try to take a lot of pitches cause you're here or there. You just play ball, you know like you been. I had a talk with them last night. Like I said, one day it will be Michael, and one day it will be Goodwin. And so I just want them to just be themselves and just play."

Conspicuously absent from the top of the lineup is Anthony Rendon, who enjoyed considerable success batting second earlier in his career but remains in the sixth position for now. Rendon sports a .402 on-base percentage that trails only Bryce Harper on this team, but he also has established himself as one of the Nationals' best run producers, with a 1.123 OPS with runners in scoring position.

That ability to drive in runs, while also providing protection for No. 5 hitter Daniel Murphy, leaves Baker believing Rendon is most valuable right now in his customary sixth position.

"I mean, he's been our clutch man, our RBI man," Baker said. "You've got to have somebody in that RBI spot, cause that's the one thing we're missing. We're scoring a lot of runs, but we're still leaving a lot of runners out there, and he's one of the main guys ... especially if you bring in a lefty. He's one of the main guys that can hit lefties in the league. Would you rather have two or three guys out of place, or would you rather have one guy out of place?"