UPDATE: We’ll have more information after Dusty Baker talks to reporters at 11:00 AM, but the Washington Nationals officially placed Adam Eaton on the 10-Day DL and they called outfielder Rafael Bautista up to fill in in the outfield. Bautista will be making his MLB debut when he first takes the first.
#Nationals: #Nats have recalled OF Rafael Bautista & placed OF Adam Eaton on the 10-day DL with a left knee strain.
— federalbaseball (@federalbaseball) April 29, 2017
ORIGINAL ARTICLE: Dusty Baker was unwilling to speculate about the extent of the injury center fielder Adam Eaton suffered in the ninth inning of last night’s game when he spoke to the press following the loss t the New York Mets.
After watching Eaton injure his left leg stepping awkwardly on first base running out a base-loading infield hit, Baker did say it obviously didn’t look good.
“As you saw, the same thing we saw, it didn’t look too good, so we’ll know something more tomorrow.”
Eaton was headed for an MRI, Baker explained, but that was all he was willing or able to offer in his post game press conference, declining to even say if it was an ankle or knee injury.
“It’s his leg, we don’t really know yet, I’m not at liberty to say yet,” Baker explained.
While there is no further information about the injury, multiple reports this morning say the Nationals are calling up outfielder Rafael Bautista today to take Eaton’s place in center field.
Washington Post writer Jorge Castillo, citing an unnamed source, reported the move on Twitter early this morning:
The Nationals are calling up OF Rafael Bautista today, per source. He hit .291 with a .680 OPS and 3 steals in 19 games for AAA Syracuse.
— Jorge Castillo (@jorgeccastillo) April 29, 2017
MASN’s Byron Kerr, citing an anonymous source as well, wrote that, “the Nationals will promote centerfielder Rafael Bautista to the major league club.”
Bautista, 24, impressed in Spring Training, going 12 for 38 (.316/.333/.368) with two doubles in 23 games, and he’s gotten off to a good start at Triple-A Syracuse (23 for 79), with a .291/.325/.354 line, five doubles and three steals (in six attempts) through 19 games.
No official word on the move from the Nationals yet, but Baker is scheduled to meet with reporters at 11:00 AM this morning, and the second game of three with the NY Mets in D.C. gets underway at 1:05 PM EDT in Nationals Park.
More information when it’s available...