The sounds of a trumpet could be heard in the hall outside the Washington Nationals‘ clubhouse Saturday morning, which didn’t make much sense. The Nationals had activated Anthony Rendon after he spent three weeks on the disabled list with a broken big toe, but it didn’t seem likely that the third baseman had hired a trumpeter to signal his return.

It was his manager who had done the hiring, not for Rendon, but for Cinco de Mayo. Dave Martinez didn’t just hire one trumpeter, but two as part of an eight-piece mariachi band that played for a half-hour or so in the clubhouse as players arrived. Player after player walked in and broke into a smile. Ryan Zimmerman, rarely emotive, walked in eyes wide, then looked around for confirmation that what he was seeing was real. The rows of teammates filming on their phones confirmed it.

“I like music and festivities, so I thought it would be fun,” Martinez said. “Perfect timing. We get Rendon back today. So that was kind of nice.”

Bryce Harper walked out of the shower mid-performance, and didn’t pause to change before starting to film the black-clad octet that included a guitarist with a Harper puppet attached to his instrument. At one point, Martinez disappeared into the hall that leads to the training room and returned with Rendon, who was in the Nationals’ starting lineup for the first time in three weeks. He led Rendon to the center of the room, where the third baseman showed unexpected grace and unabashed goofiness as he broke into some sort of salsa move as teammates cheered “Tony’s back!”

“I thought [the dancing] wasn’t bad,” said Martinez in a way that suggested he had expected otherwise.

The band also played while the Nationals took optional batting practice, which prompted Max Scherzer to hit with the position players because “when else can I take BP with a mariachi band?” Ryan Madson walked out to throw, heard the band and said only “YES.” Wilmer Difo sang along intermittently throughout, though he does that to everything from Adele to the Righteous Brothers.

To a man, the Nationals seemed to embrace the performance, the latest in a long line of Martinez’s attempts to keep the clubhouse loose and the bonds tight. He famously brought camels to spring training, hired bagpipers for St. Patrick’s Day, held a golf tournament in March and has been organizing team outings and viewing parties for Capitals playoff games. Even before the Nationals compiled their current six-game winning streak, the players — particularly stars such as Harper and Scherzer — praised Martinez’s prioritizing fun. After six wins in a row, with Rendon returning from the DL, things only got more fun Saturday.

With Rendon slotted back into the lineup — hitting second and playing third — Martinez took the opportunity to rest Trea Turner and Michael A. Taylor, who had both played in every game this season. He had not been able to rest them in Rendon’s absence. Two hours before game time, he also scratched Zimmerman, who reported stiffness in his side. Zimmerman has dealt with oblique trouble before, and Martinez said he did not know if the first baseman would be available off the bench Saturday night — only that he hoped the Nationals would not have to use him.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS (17-16)

Bryce Harper RF

Anthony Rendon 3B

Matt Adams 1B

Howie Kendrick 2B

Andrew Stevenson LF

Pedro Severino C

Rafael Bautista CF

Tanner Roark P

Wilmer Difo SS

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES (17-14)

Cesar Hernandez 2B

Rhys Hoskins LF

Odubel Herrera CF

Carlos Santana 1B

Maikel Franco 3B

Nick Williams RF

Scott Kingery SS

Vince Velasquez P

Andrew Knapp C