Yunel Escobar leaves Nationals’ game against Mets in second inning with injury

Another on-field grimace had Washington Nationals manager Matt Williams explaining once again.

Third baseman Yunel Escobar left Wednesday’s game in the bottom of the second inning because of left wrist pain. X-rays afterward of Escobar’s left hand and wrist were negative, Williams said, though he will undergo additional tests.
“That’s all we know at this point,” Williams said.

Escobar checked his swing on an inside pitch, lost control of his bat, yelled, then fell to the ground. On video replay, the pitch did not appear to strike Escobar, who remained on his back in the batter’s box.

Eventually, Escobar stood up, but was not in a hurry to pick up his bat. He bent over. Nationals trainer Lee Kuntz and Williams came out to speak to him.

Escobar took a few light practice swings, placed his helmet back on, then swung hard at the next pitch, which he pulled foul. During the swing, Escobar appeared to yell out in pain. He dropped the bat and walked straight into the dugout, with the count at 1-2, done for the day.

He was replaced by Dan Uggla, who played second base the rest of the game. Danny Espinosa moved to third base. Escobar is hitting .321 this season, fourth among all National League batters, and was batting cleanup on Wednesday. He’s now part of a seemingly never-ending list of injured players on the Nationals’ roster.

“We’ve been dealing with this stuff all year long,” shortstop Ian Desmond said. “We know the next guy coming up is going to answer the bell.”

The only upside for the Nationals is that third baseman Anthony Rendon, who has battled a strained left quadriceps and has played in only 18 games this season, appears close to returning. He was in in Single-A Potomac’s lineup for the third consecutive night on Wednesday. Rendon has not played in the major leagues since June 24 and has just 69 at-bats this season.

Should Rendon return for the four-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates, which starts on the road on Thursday, the Nationals could keep Danny Espinosa at second. If not, Espinosa would likely move to third, leaving Williams a choice between Uggla and Emmanuel Burriss at second base.