Call went 3-for-4 in Tuesday's 4-1 loss to the Giants.
This was Call's first multi-hit effort since April 29. The 28-year-old outfielder raised his batting average from .219 to .237 with Tuesday's performance, and he's added a .681 OPS through 34 contests this season. He also has three home runs, 16 RBI, 15 runs scored and two stolen bases. With Victor Robles (back) and Corey Dickerson (calf) both on the injured list, Call's spot in the lineup should be safe for a while longer.
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Nationals' Alex Call: Heads to bench
Rotowire
Call is not in Saturday's lineup against the Diamondbacks, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Call is hitting .220 with two home runs and one steal in his last 10 games. Stone Garrett gets the nod in left field with lefty Tommy Henry on the hill for Arizona.
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Nationals' Alex Call: Walks it off Thursday
Rotowire
Call went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Thursday's win over the Cubs.
With the score tied 3-3 in the bottom of the ninth inning, Call turned on the first pitch he saw from Brad Boxberger and hooked it down the left-field line for a walkoff shot. The 28-year-old outfielder has become a fixture at the top of the Nationals' batting order, and after batting .275 (11-for-40) over the last 10 games Call has pushed his slash line on the season to .230/.331/.350 with three homers, two steals, 13 runs an d 14 RBI through 29 contests. With Corey Dickerson (calf) still at least a couple weeks away from making his return, Call will continue to fill the starting role in left field.
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Nationals' Alex Call: Notches second theft
Rotowire
Call went 3-for-8 with a double and a stolen base across both games in Saturday's doubleheader versus the Pirates.
Call batted leadoff for Washington in each contest, starting in center field in the matinee and in right field in the nightcap. The 28-year-old reached base three times during the twin bill and stole his second base of the campaign in Game 2. Call has gotten on base in seven straight games, batting .346 (9-for-26) with a homer, four runs and two RBI over that span.
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Nationals' Alex Call: Back in leadoff spot
Rotowire
Call got the start in center field and went 1-for-4 as the leadoff hitter in Wednesday's loss to the Orioles.
With Victor Robles getting the night off, Call slid over to center while Stone Garrett remained in left field. Call had been on the bench the last two games after starting 11 straight prior to that, and Garrett's hot hitting since his promotion (11-for-23 with three doubles and a homer in six games) could be pushing Call out of his regular spot in the lineup. The 28-year-old's own .605 OPS isn't helping matters, but he is a superior defensive player to Garrett.
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Nationals' Alex Call: Swipes first bag
Rotowire
Call stole his first base of the season in Tuesday's loss to the Orioles after entering the game in the ninth inning as a pinch runner.
Stone Garrett once again got the start in left field, but Call was able to make a small impact off the bench in a 1-0 loss. Call has found himself out of the starting lineup in back-to-back games, and his .208/.322/.292 slash line through 59 plate appearances isn't making a compelling case to retain a consistent spot in the lineup. Corey Dickerson (calf) also figures to return before the end of the month, and given that Call has minor-league options remaining, he could be playing for his roster spot over the next week or so.
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Nationals' Alex Call: Not in Sunday's lineup
Rotowire
Call is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Guardians.
Call started the past 11 games and will take a seat after he posted a .227/.327/.318 slash line with one home run, seven RBI and eight runs during that stretch. Stone Garrett will man left field and bat seventh in Sunday's series finale.
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Nationals' Alex Call: Takes over as leadoff man
Rotowire
Call will start in left field and bat leadoff in Wednesday's game against the Angels.
Call is batting out of the leadoff spot for the sixth game in a row and looks to have emerged as the Nationals' preferred table setter against both left- and right-handed pitching. In his first five games since ascending atop the order, Call is slashing .300/.400/.500 with six runs, three RBI and a 4:2 BB:K.
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Nationals' Alex Call: Homers while driving in three
Rotowire
Call went 1-for-4 with a home run and three RBI in Friday's victory over the Rockies.
The outfielder hit a leadoff home run off Jose Urena before walking in a run in the third and hitting a sacrifice fly in the fifth. The homer was the first of the season for Call, and he's now driven in seven runs over six games.
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Nationals' Alex Call: Moves to leadoff spot
Rotowire
Call is batting leadoff for the Nationals on Friday at Colorado.
The 28-year-old hit second Wednesday and Thursday, and now he jumps to the very top of the lineup versus right-hander Jose Urena. Call has been serving as the Nationals' primary left fielder in the absence of Corey Dickerson (calf) and boasts a .400 OBP through 20 plate appearances.
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Nationals' Alex Call: Batting second again Thursday
Rotowire
Call is batting second again for the Nationals on Thursday at Colorado.
Call also occupied the No. 2 spot in the lineup for Wednesday's series finale against the Rays. The 28-year-old outfielder boasts a .438 on-base percentage with four RBI through four games played this season, and so far he's taken advantage of the absence of Corey Dickerson (calf).
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Nationals' Alex Call: Starts in left field Tuesday
Rotowire
Call is starting in left field and batting fifth for the Nationals on Tuesday night against the Rays.
Call looks poised to receive the bulk of starts in left while Corey Dickerson recovers from a calf strain. The 28-year-old hit the cover off the ball in spring training but is 0-for-4 with two walks and three strikeouts so far this season.
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Nationals' Alex Call: To open as fourth outfielder
Rotowire
Nationals manager Dave Martinez announced Tuesday that Call will open the season as the team's fourth outfielder, Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post reports.
Call has posted an impressive .333/.426/.436 batting line through 47 plate appearances this spring in Grapefruit League play. He also showed pretty well in his first taste of MLB action last year between Cleveland and Washington. The 28-year-old can cover all three outfield spots, which certainly helped his case to make the Opening Day roster.
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Nationals' Alex Call: Bench role could be slipping away
Rotowire
Call went 0-for-3 with a strikeout in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Marlins.
The 28-year-old had a hot start to his spring, collecting multiple hits in five of his first 10 games, but over his last five contests Call has gone 1-for-12 with five strikeouts as opposing pitchers have gotten a little more focused. He's still very much in the running for a spot on the Nationals' bench and potentially the short side of a left-field platoon with Corey Dickerson, but his late fade might be opening the door for Stone Garrett to seize that role instead. The rebuilding Nationals are also likely keeping an eye on the waiver wire for possible upgrades as the end of camp approaches. Call posted a .945 OPS with 13 homers and nine steals in 76 games at Triple-A last year, but his big-league debut was a little bumpier with a .748 OPS in 131 plate appearances between Washington and Cleveland.
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Nationals' Alex Call: Absent again Sunday
Rotowire
Call is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Phillies.
Call was left out of the lineup for the second half of Saturday's doubleheader, and he will remain on the bench for Sunday's contest. Cesar Hernandez will start in left field in Call's place.
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Nationals' Alex Call: Not starting nightcap
Rotowire
Call isn't starting the second game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Phillies.
Call started the first game of the twin bill and went 0-for-4 with a walk and two strikeouts. Cesar Hernandez will start in left field and bat sixth during the nightcap.
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Nationals' Alex Call: Riding pine Monday
Rotowire
Call isn't starting Monday's game against Atlanta.
Call started the last three games and went 3-for-8 with a run, two walks and a strikeout. Cesar Hernandez will take over in left field and bat fifth Monday.
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Nationals' Alex Call: Sitting again Wednesday
Rotowire
Call isn't in the lineup Wednesday against Atlanta.
Call has recorded two extra-base hits over his last three games, but he'll remain on the bench for a second consecutive matchup. Josh Palacios is starting in left field and batting eighth.
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Nationals' Alex Call: Absent from Tuesday's lineup
Rotowire
Call is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against Atlanta.
Call went just 3-for-28 (.107) over his last eight games, so he will get a break after starting 10 straight contests. Cesar Hernandez will enter the lineup in Call's place.
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Nationals' Alex Call: Hits solo home run in win
Rotowire
Call went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's win over the Marlins.
Call launched a solo shot in the fifth inning of Saturday's contest. It was his fourth homer of the season and his third this month. The outfielder had gone hitless in his last five appearances, but he is still slashing .275/.310/.575 for the month. His season batting average now sits at .213 after he started this month with a .154 average.
