ATLANTA — Matt Adams, the backup first baseman who has provided everyday production for these Nationals, left Saturday’s game against the Braves in the fourth inning after fouling a ball off his front foot.
The Nationals do not provide in-game injury updates, so no one has confirmed whether it was the foul ball that forced Adams to depart. But he seemed healthy otherwise, making an athletic tag in the first inning and looking comfortable in two lengthy at-bats. The foul ball seems the likeliest cause of trouble.
The Nationals have seen worst-case scenarios emerge from foul balls like that one, most recently when Anthony Rendon fouled a ball off his big toe and thought he would miss a day or two. He ended up missing three weeks with a broken toe. Jayson Werth suffered a broken foot on a similar play last season. Often, those plays do not result in such serious problems, but any extra caution is understandable.
Adams is currently splitting time at first with Mark Reynolds, whom the Nationals called up to replace Ryan Zimmerman, another injured first baseman. Adams had established himself as a must-have in the lineup against right-handed pitching and is second on the Nationals with 12 homers. The Nationals are already carrying a short bench, meaning Adams’s injury leaves them with three potential pinch hitters Saturday.
More information will be available after the game.