Nationals shortstop Trea Turner has suffered a broken right wrist and has no timetable for his return, reports Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post. The injury resulted from Turner's being struck by a pitch -- a 96-mph fastball from Pedro Strop -- during Thursday's 5-4 loss to the Cubs.
This, obviously, is a big blow to the first-place Nats. Turner on the season is batting .279/.324/.422 with seven home runs, mostly from the leadoff spot. That's a significant drop-off from his performance as a rookie in 2016, but it's still solid production for a regular shortstop. As well, Turner's emerged as one of the best base-runners in the game today -- his 36 stolen bases lead the majors.
Those steals in particular made Turner a prime Fantasy asset. Scott White breaks down what Fantasy owners can do to help fill the void left by his injury.
For the time being at least, Stephen Drew and Wilmer Difo figure to fill in at shortstop for Washington. Earlier this season, the Nats of course lost center fielder Adam Eaton to season-ending knee injury. So consider this their second season-altering injury of the year.
Leading up to the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, GM Mike Rizzo figures to be focused on the improving the bullpen, which blew another ninth-inning lead on Thursday. Given that need and the fact that prior trades have thinned out the system, the Nats may not have the resources to address the shortstop void via trade. If they did decide to seek out a replacement for Turner, then Zack Cozart of the Reds is likely the deadline prize among shortstops.
Fortunately for Washington, no one's presently threatening them in the NL East.
