The Nationals placed left fielder Corey Dickerson on the injured list with a left calf strain and recalled left fielder Stone Garrett, the team announced. Dickerson left yesterday’s game due to “tightness” in his left calf and underwent an MRI earlier today that revealed the strain. Dickerson, 34 in May, previously missed a month of the 2022 season after suffering a left calf strain with the Cardinals in early June. He figured to be a regular fixture in Washington’s outfield this season alongside Victor Robles and Lane Thomas, but now the Nationals will turn to Garrett with Dickerson headed for the IL.
Garrett, 27, made his major league debut with the Diamondbacks last season, slashing .276/.309/.539 with 4 home runs in 27 games with the club, good for a wRC+ of 131. That strong production at the plate was paired with concerning underlying metrics, however, as Garrett posted an astronomical .370 BABIP while striking out in 32.1% of his plate appearances and walking in just 3.6%. Those concerns led Arizona to leave Garrett off the 40-man roster headed into the offseason, allowing him to depart for free agency and sign a major league deal with Washington. Garrett then came into camp this spring with a chance to make the team, but posted a .653 OPS in 18 spring games.
It seems unlikely Garrett will be able to replace the production of Dickerson, a career 112 wRC+ hitter who has struck out in just 20.4% of plate appearances in his 1,035 game major league career. That said, Garrett did manage an identical 112 wRC+ in 103 games at Triple-A last year. The Nationals will hope that Garrett’s considerable power can make up for his high strikeout rate, particularly against the left-handed pitchers he holds a platoon advantage over. Garrett joins Robles, Thomas, and Alex Call as outfielders on the club’s active roster, though Ildemaro Vargas, Michael Chavis, Joey Meneses, and Dominic Smith all have experience in the outfield as well.