Trea Turner fractures wrist in loss to Cubs, no timetable set for return

The Nationals fell to the Cubs 5-4 on Thursday when Blake Treinen struggled in the ninth inning and allowed three runs.

But the news got worse after the game when the Nats announced that postgame X-rays revealed shortstop Trea Turner has a non-displaced fracture in his right wrist.

A similar injury was suffered earlier this season by the Braves' Freddie Freeman. He was injured May 17 against the Blue Jays and is still out of the lineup. The diagnosis for Freeman was approximately eight to 10 weeks.

No timetable was announced by Turner on his recovery time. If eight to 10 weeks is the potential time frame off the field, that puts the possibility of Turner's return around late August or the first week of September.

Turner was hit by a pitch from Cubs reliever Pedro Strop in the bottom of the seventh. He stayed in the game until the top of the ninth and then was replaced by Stephen Drew.

Turner remained in the game because he was hopeful it wasn't a fracture.

"I didn't know. I had tape on my wrist, so initially it didn't feel that bad," Turner said. "But I went out there and tried throwing. It hurt to lob the ball, but it felt fine when I threw it as hard as I could or basically full speed.

"So I stayed in there a little bit, and then after a little while it started stiffening up on me, so I figured I'd get out of there. In a close game, didn't want to make a double-cut play or whatever it might be. I figured Drew might have a better shot or (Wilmer) Difo. They'd have a better shot at playing some defense."

Turner said he was disappointed it happened in that at-bat because the Nats already had two runs in and were looking to have a big inning. They ended up scoring three runs in the inning, but it appeared it had the chance to be so much more.

"Yeah, it sucks. I'm trying to have a good at-bat right there," Turner said. "You wish it hit you in the back or arm or something - not the hand or wrist, which is never fun. I thought about Freddie Freeman earlier in the year, that's no fun. It is what it is, you have to roll with it."

Turner was then asked about how long he thought he would be out. He said he had "no idea" on the timetable for recovery, adding:

"You see guys every once in awhile try to stay in there and have a tough at-bat - breaking balls, whatever it is," Turner said. "They stay in there too long - Giancarlo Stanton when he got hit in the face - it sucks because guys are throwing so hard now, you have very little time to get out of the way. When you get hit in little bones, little parts of the body, it's hard to come away unscathed."

Turner suffered through, and recovered from, a hamstring injury earlier in the season. A right hamstring strain kept him out for 10 games in the middle of April. Turner says he feels somewhat more positive about this particular injury and his recovery time.

"I think broken bones a little bit better for me at least because it's a bone, not a muscle," Turner said. "You don't have to get it working properly again. You just have to give it time to heal. So it may take a little bit longer, but for me it's not better, but for the long haul maybe a little better."

Big picture, this injury to Turner hampers the top of the Nationals order again.

The Nats have now suffered a pair of significant injuries to their No. 1 and No. 2 hitters in the lineup. Leadoff man Adam Eaton was lost for the season with an ACL and leg injury in late April.

The club appeared to have been able to recover from that major setback with Michael A. Taylor playing well in center field and Turner and Brian Goodwin providing a solid punch at the top of the lineup, setting the table for their potent No. 3 through No. 6 hitters.

Now Difo and Drew must pick up the slack at shortstop. However, because of this wrist fracture to Turner, the weapon of shear speed - a major league-leading 35 stolen bases - will be sorely missed for what could be two full months.

But the Nats still have not solved their biggest problem that has plagued them through the first 79 games of the season: an inconsistent bullpen.