BOWIE, Md. — Washington Nationals infielder Anthony Rendon played seven innings at second base for Double-A Harrisburg on Friday night in the first game of his most recent minor-league rehabilitation assignment.
Rendon has been recovering from a strained left oblique for the past four weeks. He went 1 for 4 at the plate Friday with a single and three strikeouts, the last of which came with two outs and the bases loaded in the seventh inning. He also fielded four groundballs at second base and made a difficult turn in a potential 6-4-3 double play, which was negated because the runner beat Rendon’s throw to first base.
“He seems ready to go,” Harrisburg manager Brian Daubach said. “Went through the pre-game workouts fine, had a smile on his face like he usually does when he’s ready to go. First at-bat, smoked that ball. The double play I thought was really good. That was a tough turn, I thought he might’ve been out. It was a close play. But the ball took him running deep in the hole, and that’s a really hard turn to make right there, and he made it as good as you can make it.”
Rendon left Prince George’s Stadium before the conclusion of the game and could not be reached for comment. He hasn’t fielded questions from a reporter since April 24. He is expected to be back in Harrisburg’s lineup Saturday.
The 24-year-old began the season on the 15-day disabled list because of a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee. During the rehabilitation process, he strained his left oblique and was shut down again. He has since split his time between Washington and Viera, Florida, where he participated in simulated games earlier this week.
Friday marked Rendon’s fourth minor-league game of the season and his third at second base. He also hit second in the order, singling in his first at-bat and struggling thereafter. Rendon struck out looking on four pitches in the fourth inning then went down swinging in both the sixth and the seventh.
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“I think he was seeing the ball good. After he got that first hit, he was maybe trying to do a little too much,” Daubach said. “But no, he looked fine. We’ll see how he is tonight and get back out there tomorrow.”
• Tom Schad can be reached at tschad@washingtontimes.com.
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