Back on the night of April 15th, when Washington Nationals third baseman Paul DeJong was hit in the face by a fastball from Pittsburgh Pirates starter Mitch Keller, it was unclear just how much time he would miss. However, in that moment, the only thing that really mattered immediately was whether or not he would be alright, and that his health was truly paramount above his return to the diamond.
Since we are now a couple of weeks removed from the incident, we finally have learned of some updates about when we should expect to see DeJong return to the field. Nationals manager Davey Martinez informed reporters last week that the infielder was set to undergo surgery on his nose to repair his sinuses and orbital plate, and that operation took place on April 28th, earlier this week.
The latest update from Martinez following the operation is that we likely will not see DeJong return until around the All-Star break, but also added "we'll see" with regards to his actual return. At this point, it appears as if DeJong will be on the shelf away from any sort of baseball activities for at least a month, and then would slowly work his way back into the sport for a few weeks before going on a rehab assignment.
All of that elapsed time would likely have him set to return around July, which is when the All-Star break happens and causes all sorts of timelines to shift and move around as clubs around the league alter their plans for the rest of the season. For DeJong, it means that he is losing out on valuable time that he likely would have loved to have had, as he was shaping up to be a viable trade chip at the deadline due to his steady defensive presence and his power at the plate.
Obviously, all of that is secondary, and I'm sure that he would gladly miss out on a half season of potentially being dealt to a contender if it means he will heal and recover safely from his injuries. While he remains out, third base will likely continue to be held in some sort of a platoon with Jose Tena manning the hot corner against righties with Amed Rosario playing primarily against lefties. While neither of them are exactly hot commodities, it seems as if they are mostly just keeping the position warm for top prospect Brady House, who has been mashing for AAA Rochester and appears to be on track for a big league call-up before the end of the season.
When do you want to see Paul DeJong back in DC? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.