Washington Nationals shortstop Trea Turner has broken his right index finger and is out indefinitely.
The speedster suffered the injury on a bunt attempt in the first inning of Tuesday night’s 8-2 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies. On an 0-1 count, he stabbed at a pitch with a bunt attempt. Instead of hitting the ball with his bat, he hit it with his finger. After he went down in pain, trainer Paul Lessard and Nationals manager Dave Martinez checked his condition. He left the game soon afterward and was replaced by Wilmer Difo, who inherited an 0-2 count because Turner offered at the previous pitch. Difo struck out, but since Turner faced more pitches, he was credited with the strikeout.
Turner was taken for X-rays, and afterward, Martinez confirmed the news of the fracture to reporters.
Dave Martinez: Trea Turner has a broken index finger.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) April 3, 2019
What This Means for the Nationals
Turner was a tremendous offensive weapon for the Nationals, both with his bat and on the base paths. So far this season, he has batted .357 (5-for-14) with a double, two home runs, four RBI, four stolen bases on four attempts, and four runs scored. One of those home runs was the winning blow in Sunday’s 6-5 walk-off victory over the New York Mets.
Losing a key piece like Turner will be a devastating blow for the Nationals, who will most likely have to turn to utility infielder Wilmer Difo. Difo went 1-for-3 in Tuesday’s game, which was his second appearance of the season, but he is not the base-stealing threat that Turner is. With reserve first baseman Matt Adams also leaving the game due to back spasms after a scary fall into the stands, this might mean that the Nationals must call up two players from the minors. For a team that has started the season 1-3, this could be the early signs of a long year.
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