Washington Nationals send Trea Turner out on rehab assignment with High-A Potomac

Washington Nationals’ shortstop Trea Turner got four games in this season before he broke the index finger on his right hand when he squared to bunt in the first at bat of an April 2nd game against the Philadelphia Phillies in the nation’s capital.

A year after playing in all 162, Turner’s 2019 campaign got off to a rough start, and the 25-year-old shortstop has been out of action ever since, though he did step up the rehab in recent days as he waited for the finger to heal.

“Trea Turner has been progressing and improving quite a bit,” GM Mike Rizzo told 106.7 the FAN in D.C.’s Sports Junkies last Wednesday, and this weekend manager Davey Martinez did provide an update for reporters on the plans for Turner as he got close to returning.

Martinez said Turner had started to hit in the cage, but the fielding was the big step for the right-handed throwing infielder, who, of course, broke a finger on his right hand.

“The throwing has been the issue,” Martinez explained, as quoted by MASN’s Byron Kerr.

“He has been throwing better. So we just got to get him out there throwing. Yesterday he went behind the bag, made some throws, running, took some backhands, did some throws running, looked really good. But he’s got to get comfortable.”

Getting Turner used to game speed again is another issue, Martinez said, and getting him used to transferring the ball and making plays around the bag at second.

In order to get him comfortable, the Nationals are sending Turner out to High-A Potomac to start a rehab assignment tonight...