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Pressed for details last night about what the Washington Nationals would do to avoid having to start Alex Avila at second for a second straight day, Davey Martinez told reporters that he and the Nats’ brass were considering all their options. Asked if they needed to go outside of the organization, Martinez said, “we’re looking at some other options inside as well.”
Trea Turner jammed his finger in Wednesday win over Tampa Bay, and Jordy Mercer had an issue with cramping in his quad in the game against the Rays, and as Martinez detailed the options they would normally have considered were exhausted before they settled on their lineup for the first of four with the LA Dodgers in D.C.
“Carter [Kieboom] is not available, Carter is hurt, he’s got a knee injury, so he’s out, [Adrían] Sanchez is out, [Luis] García is out, we can go to Double-A, [Jackson[ Cluff is out. So, we’re dealing with a lot of injuries right now.
“We’re working through some stuff, hopefully something will work out for us, but we’ve got a lot of decisions to make tonight.”
“We’re just — we’re searching,” he added at another point. “Hopefully Trea comes back tomorrow and feels a little bit better. I know Mercer is going to get an MRI tomorrow and we’ll see where he’s at, but we’re going to try to get somebody here that can play the middle of the field.”
That somebody turned out to be 27-year-old infielder Humberto Arteaga, who signed in D.C. on a free agent deal this winter, and is returning to the majors for the first time since 2019, when he debuted with the Kanas City Royals.
Arteaga put up a combined .227/.267/.309 line with three doubles and two home runs in 29 games and 116 plate appearances between Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Rochester this season before he got the call today.
In addition to calling up Arteaga, the Nationals announced that they, “placed infielder Jordy Mercer on the 10-day Injured List (retroactive to July 1) with a strained right quad,” and, “... recalled right-handed pitcher Steven Fuentes and placed him on the 60-day Injured List with a right shoulder strain.”