Nationals' Alex Call: To open as fourth outfielder
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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
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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: Riding pine Monday
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Call isn't in the lineup Monday against the Mets.
Call has gone just 2-for-15 with two runs, a stolen base, two walks and eight strikeouts over his last four games, and he'll remain on the bench for a third consecutive matchup. Cesar Hernandez will start in left field and bat sixth.
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Nationals' Alex Call: Absent again Sunday
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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Nationals' Alex Call: Playing time picking up
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Call will start in center field and bat seventh in Wednesday's game against the Orioles, Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reports.
Call started each of the past five games in left field, but he'll slide over to center Wednesday while Lane Thomas is manning right field and while Victor Robles (neck) remains day-to-day with an injury. Over the last five contests, Call went 7-for-20 with three extra-base hits and a walk. Call appears set to get a look as a regular in the Washington outfield while utility man Cesar Hernandez picks up more work in the infield.
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Nationals' Alex Call: Swats third homer
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Call went 3-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 5-3 loss to the Phillies.
He chased Noah Syndergaard from the game in the top of the seventh inning with his third homer of the year. Call has two home runs and seven hits in the last two games and is batting .556 (10-for-18) in September as he tries to prove he deserves a place in the Nationals' plans for 2023.
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Nationals' Alex Call: Back on bench
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Call is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Mariners.
Call had started each of the last four games in left field while batting first or second in the lineup and went a collective 2-for-14 with a home run, a stolen base and two walks over that stretch. The Nationals will have an opening in the lineup in left field while Yadiel Hernandez (calf) is on the injured list, but the righty-hitting Call may be limited to a short-side platoon role. Three of his last four starts came against southpaws.
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Nationals' Alex Call: Registers steal
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Call went 1-for-4 with a stolen base in Sunday's 2-1 loss to the Padres.
Included in the lineup for the fourth time in five games, Call was able to log his first major-league steal Sunday. He's seen some more prominent usage lately, and there's a chance the playing time sticks as long as Yadiel Hernandez (calf) is out of action. Call is slashing .152/.263/.242 with one home run, two RBI, five runs scored and a steal through 38 plate appearances between the Nationals and the Guardians.
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Nationals' Alex Call: Leading off Saturday
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Call will bat in the leadoff spot as the starting left fielder Saturday against the Padres.
After getting a hit in back-to-back appearances, including a homer Friday, Call will set the table for the Nationals on Saturday. He is slashing only .154/.214/.385 since being recalled from Triple-A Rochester last Sunday, but Call could get boost in playing time with Yadiel Hernandez (calf) landing on the IL.
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Nationals' Alex Call: Clubs two-run homer
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Call went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run and a walk in Friday's 6-3 win over the Padres.
Call went yard as part of the Nationals' three-run ninth inning, which held up for the win. The 27-year-old outfielder is off to a slow start in a limited role with his new team, going 2-for-13 with three runs scored and two RBI across six contests since he was promoted from Triple-A Rochester. For the season, he's slashing just .160/.300/.280 with one homer, two RBI, five runs scored and a 5:7 BB:K through 30 plate appearances between the Nationals and Guardians.
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Nationals' Alex Call: Recalled from Rochester
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Call was recalled from Triple-A Rochester on Sunday.
The Nationals claimed Call off waivers from the Guardians earlier this month, and he quickly earned a spot on the big-league roster by going 8-for-18 (.444) with a couple homers and a couple doubles over five games with Rochester. He will jump right into Washington's lineup and hit leadoff while playing left field Sunday.
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Nationals' Alex Call: Claimed by Washington
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The Nationals claimed Call off waivers and optioned him to Triple-A Rochester on Sunday, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.
Call was designated for assignment by the Guardians on Friday and was quickly claimed by the Nationals. The 27-year-old went 2-for-12 during his first taste of big-league action and has a .912 OPS at the Triple-A level this year.
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Guardians' Alex Call: Jettisoned from 40-man roster
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Call was designated for assignment by the Guardians on Friday.
Call was optioned to Triple-A Columbus earlier this week and has now lost his spot on Cleveland's 40-man roster. He's appeared in 12 big-league games this year and went 2-for-12 with four walks and two runs score. Hunter Gaddis, who is starting Friday against Houston, had his contract selected in a corresponding move.
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Guardians' Alex Call: Returns to Columbus
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Call was optioned to Triple-A Columbus on Monday, Joe Noga of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
Call worked as a reserve outfielder for the Guardians over the last couple weeks, but the team decided to swap him out for Will Benson. Call will presumably be among the top options should Cleveland need to bring up an outfielder from the minor-league ranks before the season comes to a close.
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Guardians' Alex Call: Receives first MLB call-up
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The Guardians selected Call's contract from Triple-A Columbus on Monday, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.
Call will be available off the bench for Monday's series opener with the White Sox and should serve as a short-side platoon option in the outfield after Oscar Mercado was designated for assignment in a corresponding move. Over 293 plate appearances with Columbus in 2022, the 27-year-old Call slashed .283/.418/.504 with 11 home runs and six stolen bases across 293 plate appearances.
