WASHINGTON -- Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon's left big toe still felt sore when he arrived to Nationals Park on Saturday morning, a night after he fouled a ball off his foot that caused him to leave the game early. He was not in the Nationals starting lineup for Saturday afternoon's game against the Rockies.
X-rays taken after the game were negative on Rendon's toe, which was heavily bandaged. No further tests were scheduled, and manager Dave Martinez said Rendon was day to day, but they had not discussed the possibility of a stint on the disabled list yet for Rendon.
"Today he's sore, he took a pretty good blow to the big toe," Martinez said. "So we'll see how he feels here in a little while. I know he's getting treatment, so we'll see how it goes throughout the day."
Washington cannot afford to lose Rendon for any extended period of time considering how the team has struggled to produce runs lately. Rendon had been hitting .286/.355/.411 in 14 games this season. The Nats are already without left fielder Adam Eaton (ankle) and second baseman Daniel Murphy (knee).
And then left fielder Brian Goodwin was a late scratch from the lineup Saturday with a sore left wrist. Goodwin has not played since Wednesday when he landed awkwardly on his wrist while diving for a fly ball in the outfield. He had been filling in well in the outfield while Eaton was injured, with a .400 on-base percentage in 12 games.
These injuries have made Martinez's job tougher in writing out the lineup each day. Matt Reynolds was starting at third base Saturday in Rendon's absence, and he is likely to split time with Wilmer Difo at the hot corner. Moises Sierra will play left field in place of Goodwin.
"It's hard," Martinez said. "But we got pretty good athletes."
The severity of Rendon's injury is still unclear, although he was relieved the toe was not broken. It is worth noting a year ago, Jayson Werth fouled a ball off his foot and ended up being sidelined for more than two months. But Werth had a walking boot on and was placed on the disabled list almost immediately after his injury, while Rendon walked into the clubhouse Saturday morning with only a slight limp.