Nationals' Jeimer Candelario: Battling bone bruise in thumb

Candelario was removed from Friday's game against the Cardinals in the first inning with a bone bruise in his right thumb, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Per manager Davey Martinez, Candelario hurt his thumb doing a defensive drill before the game. The third baseman tried to play through it, but the injury felt worse when he tried to swing a bat. While he should be considered day-to-day for now, an IL stint may be on the table if Candelario doesn't show improvement in the next 24 hours.