The Washington Nationals will place outfielder Alex Call on the 10-day injured list after he suffered a partial tear of his left plantar fascia on Friday, according to the MLB transaction wire.
However, the injury did not speed up the Nationals’ top talent, outfielder Dylan Crews. The Nationals called up catcher Drew Millas from Triple-A Rochester.
Washington had previously announced that Crews would make his major league debut on Monday against the New York Yankees. After Call’s injury, there was doubt as to whether the Nationals would move up the debut of their young star.
However, Crews is still with Rochester, which completes a series against Lehigh Valley this weekend. As a designated hitter, he hit 0 for 4 in Friday’s game.
Washington’s lineup had not been finalized when the deal was announced, but after Call left Friday’s game, Call’s position in right field was replaced by veteran Joey Gallo.
During Friday’s game, Call injured his left foot on what appeared to be a serious play. He fell to the ground in pain and had to be carried off the field.
After the game, he underwent an MRI, which revealed a tear in his plantar fascia. He also revealed to reporters covering the team that he had been suffering from plantar fasciitis for the past few weeks. When he attempted to execute the play that resulted in his injury, he felt a popping sound.
“You’ve probably seen me hobbling around the field because I’ve been dealing with the plantar fasciitis issue,” Call said. “So maybe this is more of a no-brainer to relieve the pressure I’ve been feeling down there. When I heard that, I was really excited.”
Before his injury, he had a batting average of .343/.425/.525/.950 in 30 games, with three home runs and 14 RBI.
Call, a 29-year-old right-hander, was selected in the third round out of Ball State University by the Chicago White Sox in 2016. He didn’t make his MLB debut until 2022 with the Cleveland Guardians. He landed with the Nationals later that season after the Guardians designated for assignment.
Before his injury, he was in the midst of the best season of his career. Last year, he played 128 games for Washington and posted a batting average of .200/.307/.307/.614 with eight home runs and 38 RBIs.
Millas was with the Nationals before this season and posted a batting average of .167/.219/.300/.519 with one home run and one RBI. Last year, he also played in 11 games for Washington, but posted a batting average of .286/.375/.464/.839 with one home run and six RBIs.
Millas was selected in the seventh round by the Oakland Athletics in 2019.
If the Nationals bring Crews up on Monday, they will have to secure not only a spot on the 40-man roster, but also on the 26-man roster.
