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The Washington Nationals are starting to turn the corner on their rebuild. Unfortunately, Dave Martinez is without third baseman Paul DeJong after he was hit in the face by Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Mitch Keller.
DeJong, who has been out since April 15th, is one of the few veterans on the Nationals' roster. The former All-Star won't need eye surgery, but he will undergo a procedure for his broken nose, according to Nationals reporter Mark Zuckerman.
Washington's season has been remarkably clean when it comes to injuries. DeJong and Mike Soroka are the only significant pieces that are missing. The Nationals are using their healthy year to remain relevant in the NL East early in the season.
DeJong isn't the best player on the Nationals roster this year, but he is the team's locker room leader. While Keller's pitch wasn't intentionally aimed at DeJong, the Washington will miss the 12-year MLB veteran.
At this point in his career, DeJong provides more value as a mentor than anything else. However, the Nationals have healthy contributions from veterans up and down their roster. That, combined with strong starts from James Wood and Dylan Crews, has the team just under .500 so far this season.
There is no timetable for DeJong's return to the field, but Washington hopes that he won't need to sit for too long. Unfortunately for him, he won't have the opportunity for revenge against the Pirates until mid-September.
The Nationals find themselves pleasantly surprised to start 2025. The NL East is stacked at the top with the Atlanta Braves, New York Mets, and Philadelphia Phillies. While they might not win the division, a playoff spot isn't out of the question.
The Washington Nationals hope that losing DeJong doesn't disturb their rhythm too much moving forward. If things continue to go well, their rebuild might end sooner than most experts around the baseball world thought.
