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The Washington Nationals were unable to finish their game against the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday due to heavy rain. When the game picks up on Saturday, they'll have to go forth without infielder Jeimer Candelario.
Candelario left the game with a right thumb injury after his first at-bat. Ildemaro Vargas replaced Candelario at third base in the bottom of the first inning until the game was suspended due to the weather.
After the game, Nationals manager Dave Martinez spoke about the injury to his infielder. Martinez revealed that Candelario has a bone bruise in his right thumb, as reported by team beat writer Jesse Dougherty.
Martinez told the media that the thumb was originally struck by a ball during pregame warmups. After Candelario's first swing, the thumb truly began to hurt. The Nationals third baseman will be reevaluated tomorrow.
“Hopefully we can be there tomorrow. Please, god,” Candelario told reporters Friday, via Nationals writer Mark Zuckerman. “Because I'm feeling really good and want to get going this second half.”
Candelario is in the midst of his first season in the nation's capital. And so far, he is having a nice bounce-back campaign. The Nationals infielder has 13 home runs and 43 RBI this season while batting .261.
Candelario joined the Nationals as a free agent this past winter. He was non-tendered by the Detroit Tigers, allowing him to hit the open market. Prior to joining Washington, the 29-year-old played 590 games in the Motor City hitting 65 home runs and 245 RBI.
Candelario is owed a little less than $2.5 million for the rest of the season and is on an expiring contract. This could make him an attractive trade chip for the Nationals this summer. First and foremost, let's hope Candelario makes a quick return to the diamond.