Manager Dave Martinez said Tuesday that Call (foot) will embark on a rehab assignment soon in hopes of returning before the end of the regular season, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.
The 29-year-old landed on the injured list in late August due to a partial tear of the plantar fascia in his left foot, and he's now on the cusp of returning to game action. Call has been productive when up with the Nationals this season with a .343/.425/.525 slash line in 30 games, and a healthy finish to the campaign would set him up for a normal offseason heading into 2025.
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Nationals' Alex Call: Placed on 10-day IL
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The Nationals placed Call on the 10-day injured list Saturday due to a partial tear of the plantar fascia in his left foot.
Call was carted off the field in Friday's game against Atlanta after falling to the ground while pursuing a flyball. More tests are needed, but given the nature of the injury, the Nationals could elect to hold Call out for the remainder of the season. It's a brutal blow for the 29-year-old, who was slashing .343/.425/.525 with five stolen bases, nine doubles, three home runs and 14 RBI across 113 plate appearances this season. Dylan Crews is slated to be called up Monday, but in the interim, Drew Millas was recalled from Triple-A Rochester to take the Call's spot on the 26-man roster for the weekend.
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Nationals' Alex Call: Carted off field
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Call fell to the ground pursuing a fly ball during Friday's game against Atlanta and was carted off the field, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
While the specifics of the injury are unknown at this point, it's certainly not a good sign that Call required a cart to exit the field. The right fielder attempted to walk off under his own power but was unable to do so. With Dylan Crews already set to join the big-league roster Monday, Call's injury may have created an immediate opening in the starting nine for the top prospect to fill.
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Nationals' Alex Call: Goes yard again Sunday
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Call went 1-for-4 with a walk and a solo home run in Sunday's win over the Phillies.
The 29-year-old outfielder has three homers in 99 big-league plate appearances this year, and two of them came in back-to-back games this weekend. Call has cooled down a bit since he reeled off six straight multi-hit performances earlier this month, going just 5-for-25 (.200) since with a 1:6 BB:K, but four of those knocks have gone for extra bases.
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Nationals' Alex Call: Drawing third straight start
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Call will start in center field and bat seventh in Wednesday's game against the Diamondbacks.
Call will pick up his third consecutive start, this time occupying center field after his previous two starts came in right field. He's gone 3-for-5 with a home run, three walks and three RBI in the first two games in Arizona, and Call should have a clear runway to handle a regular role in the outfield so long as he keeps producing at the dish.
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Nationals' Alex Call: Clubs homer in win
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Call went 2-for-3 with a three-run home run and two walks in Monday's 9-8 loss to the Diamondbacks.
Call got the start in right field following the trades of Jesse Winker and Lane Thomas over the last few days. The outfielder previously went 5-for-16 (.313) over his first seven games of the season, but he was sent down to Triple-A Rochester in early May. He'll have a chance to carve out a starting role, though it's expected Call will have to compete with Travis Blankenhorn -- who is expected to be recalled from Rochester on Tuesday -- for playing time in right field. Top prospect Dylan Crews will also likely be called up at some point in the second half, further crowding the Nationals' outfield.
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Nationals' Alex Call: Gets first shot in right field
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Call will start in right field and bat sixth Monday versus the Diamondbacks, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Call will get the first opportunity to replace Lane Thomas in right field after Thomas was traded to the Guardians on Monday. The Nationals had just recalled Call from Triple-A Rochester on Sunday after Jesse Winker was traded to the Mets. Call has produced a .313 average with a double, an RBI, six runs scored and a stolen base over 21 plate appearances with the Nationals this season.
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Nationals' Alex Call: Recalled from Triple-A
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The Nationals recalled Call from Triple-A Rochester on Saturday.
Call failed to make the big-league roster out of spring training, but he will rejoin the Nationals after slashing .216/.306/.486 with six homers and 17 RBI across 85 Triple-A plate appearances. He'll provide additional depth to Washington's outfield unit while Joey Gallo (shoulder) is on the injured list.
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Nationals' Alex Call: Optioned to Triple-A
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The Nationals optioned Call to Triple-A Rochester on Saturday.
Call was with the Nats for the bulk of last season, but with some veteran outfield additions over the winter, there's no room for him on the Opening Day roster. He should bounce around to all three outfield spots at Rochester.
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Nationals' Alex Call: Comfortable at plate in spring
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Call went 1-for-1 with two RBI and a walk in Monday's 11-4 Grapefruit League win over the Cardinals.
There is no way to sugarcoat Call's 2023 numbers, which included a .200/.307/.307 slash line through 439 plate appearances. However, the versatile outfielder has shown some sparks at the plate this spring, slashing .353/.500/1.088 with seven RBI in 17 at-bats. Call will have to continue performing in similar fashion during what remains of spring to ensure a reserve outfield spot on the Opening Day roster.
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Nationals' Alex Call: Hits homer in rare start
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Call went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in Thursday's loss against Atlanta.
Call accounted for the first Washington run with his 364-foot solo shot off Max Fried in the third inning. The 28-year-old outfielder has only started five games for the Nationals in September as he splits time in left field with Jake Alu and Blake Rutherford. Call is slashing .199/.306/.307 with eight homers and nine stolen bases over 126 games.
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Nationals' Alex Call: On bench Sunday
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Call is not in the lineup Sunday against the Marlins.
Jacob Young, who was promoted Saturday from Triple-A Rochester, will start in center field and bat ninth. Call has slashed just .204/.306/.307 across 405 plate appearances this season and might be in danger of losing his grip on a regular role in the Nationals' outfield.
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Nationals' Alex Call: Swipes eighth bag
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Call went 1-for-3 with a walk, a run scored, two RBI and a stolen base in Sunday's win over the Rangers.
It was another productive performance for Call from the ninth spot in the batting order. The 28-year-old has hit safely in five straight games since rejoining the big-league roster, going 6-for-16 (.375) over that stretch with two of his five homers and two of his eight steals on the season. Victor Robles (back) doesn't yet have a clear timeline for his return, so Call should continue filling in as the Nationals center fielder coming out of the All-Star break.
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Nationals' Alex Call: Homers, scores three times in loss
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Call went 1-for-2 with a solo home run, three runs scored and a stolen base in Thursday's loss to Cincinnati.
Call walked in each of his first two trips to the plate and came around to score on a Lane Thomas single in the fifth inning after stealing second. He then launched a solo homer in the seventh to put the Nationals on top 3-2 and later came around to score a third time in the 10th. It was the center fielder's first home run since May 4, and he's now registered a hit in each of his first two games since being recalled.
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Nationals' Alex Call: Returns to big leagues
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Call was recalled from Triple-A Rochester on Wednesday, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.
The Nationals gave Derek Hill a run in center field for a while, but they've now designated him for assignment and brought back Call. The 28-year-old has batted only .209/.299/.291 across 251 plate appearances in the majors this season but could see regular action in center field while Victor Robles (back) recuperates.
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Nationals' Alex Call: Racks up three hits in loss
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Call went 3-for-4 in Tuesday's 4-1 loss to the Giants.
This was Call's first multi-hit effort since April 29. The 28-year-old outfielder raised his batting average from .219 to .237 with Tuesday's performance, and he's added a .681 OPS through 34 contests this season. He also has three home runs, 16 RBI, 15 runs scored and two stolen bases. With Victor Robles (back) and Corey Dickerson (calf) both on the injured list, Call's spot in the lineup should be safe for a while longer.
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Nationals' Alex Call: Heads to bench
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Call is not in Saturday's lineup against the Diamondbacks, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Call is hitting .220 with two home runs and one steal in his last 10 games. Stone Garrett gets the nod in left field with lefty Tommy Henry on the hill for Arizona.
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Nationals' Alex Call: Walks it off Thursday
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Call went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Thursday's win over the Cubs.
With the score tied 3-3 in the bottom of the ninth inning, Call turned on the first pitch he saw from Brad Boxberger and hooked it down the left-field line for a walkoff shot. The 28-year-old outfielder has become a fixture at the top of the Nationals' batting order, and after batting .275 (11-for-40) over the last 10 games Call has pushed his slash line on the season to .230/.331/.350 with three homers, two steals, 13 runs an d 14 RBI through 29 contests. With Corey Dickerson (calf) still at least a couple weeks away from making his return, Call will continue to fill the starting role in left field.
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Nationals' Alex Call: Back in leadoff spot
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Call got the start in center field and went 1-for-4 as the leadoff hitter in Wednesday's loss to the Orioles.
With Victor Robles getting the night off, Call slid over to center while Stone Garrett remained in left field. Call had been on the bench the last two games after starting 11 straight prior to that, and Garrett's hot hitting since his promotion (11-for-23 with three doubles and a homer in six games) could be pushing Call out of his regular spot in the lineup. The 28-year-old's own .605 OPS isn't helping matters, but he is a superior defensive player to Garrett.
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Nationals' Alex Call: Swipes first bag
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Call stole his first base of the season in Tuesday's loss to the Orioles after entering the game in the ninth inning as a pinch runner.
Stone Garrett once again got the start in left field, but Call was able to make a small impact off the bench in a 1-0 loss. Call has found himself out of the starting lineup in back-to-back games, and his .208/.322/.292 slash line through 59 plate appearances isn't making a compelling case to retain a consistent spot in the lineup. Corey Dickerson (calf) also figures to return before the end of the month, and given that Call has minor-league options remaining, he could be playing for his roster spot over the next week or so.
