Garrett placed on IL with fractured fibula

NEW YORK -- The Nationals placed outfielder Stone Garrett on the 10-day injured list with a fractured left fibula and recalled infielder Jeter Downs from Triple-A Rochester prior to Thursday's series finale against the Yankees.

Garrett is headed to D.C. to see team physician Robert Najarian to see if surgery is required. Garrett hurt his leg in the seventh inning of Wednesday’s 9-1 loss at Yankee Stadium.

With the Yankees leading, 6-0, DJ LeMahieu led off the seventh inning with a deep fly ball to right field. As the ball went over the fence, Garrett climbed the wall and appeared to twist his leg. He fell to the ground and stayed there until help arrived.

Nationals director of athletic training Paul Lessard, manager Dave Martinez and some of the Yankees’ training staff aided Garrett before he was carted off the field approximately 15 minutes later. Garrett appeared to be in tears as he was carted off, with Lessard consoling him.

Garrett has been a pleasant surprise for Washington, hitting .269 with nine home runs and 40 RBIs this season. He entered 2023 as a platoon player, but he became an everyday outfielder after Corey Dickerson was released on Aug. 2.

“I challenged him to become a better outfielder. He has done it," Martinez said. "I challenged him to put the ball in play more, and he has done it. He is driving in more runs. Everything I’ve asked him to do, he went out of his way to get it done, and I love guys like that."

Despite being his first season with the Nats, Garrett has already become one of the leaders who guys look up to, according to Martinez.

“He had a nickname. They called him 'Skinny,' as we know he is not,” Martinez said. “He was upbeat, but played really hard for us. Great guy, great character, great professional. He has that presence about him. He is very soft-spoken, but he is one of those guys who has fun, keeps everybody loose.”

With Garrett out for a significant amount of time, the Nationals had a lineup on Thursday that included Jake Alu in left field, Alex Call in center and Lane Thomas in right. Downs and Blake Rutherford also have experience in the outfield.

“We have a lot of moving parts," Martinez said. "We have guys that can play multiple positions. We might try some different things."

Downs is a person who can play multiple positions. Besides the infield, he has played center field with Rochester. This is Downs’ second stint with the Nationals this season. He went 2-for-5 with four walks, one RBI and two stolen bases in six games during his first stint.