Alternate title: Mr. Turner goes to Washington.
Ian Desmond, keep an eye in your rearview.
You might also want to get your DC area home spruced up and ready for the open market. You know, just in case.
n. 1. A member of a major-league baseball team.
-Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, published 1913 by C. & G. Merriam Co.
Yep, earlier than even the most optimistic among us likely expected, Mr. Turner got the call up to the big club on Friday.
In surprise move, Nationals call up shortstop prospect Trea Turner (WashingtonPost.com)
Turner was sitting in a movie, “Straight Outta Compton,” with his Syracuse teammates when his phone rang. He didn’t recognize the number, so he didn’t pick up. It kept ringing, so he finally answered. Chiefs manager Billy Gardner was on the other end, and asked Turner if he’d ever been to Washington D.C. He had, once, when he was younger. Gardner told him he was going back.
[snip]
That Turner joins the Nationals now, two weeks before rosters expand in September, qualifies as a surprise. The Nationals have a logjam of sorts in their middle infield, where Ian Desmond has shown signs since the all-star break of breaking out of a season-long slump, Anthony Rendon is still searching for his timing at the plate as he recovers from injury, and Danny Espinosa continues to seize opportunities with power and grit.
“It depends on need. It depends on where we’re at in games and how he can contribute to it,” Nationals Manager Matt Williams said. “With T-Mo and his ankle, we were short on the bench anyway, so we had to get somebody here. Trea gives us a lot of options. Middle infield guy. He’s got speed. He’s had a great year. Puts the bat on the baseball. So there’s a lot of opportunity for him. But it will depend on how that particular game plays out.”
Best of luck to Trea, of course.
And my not too distant future road trip might now be in need of some alterations to the itinerary.
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Turner did get into Friday night’s game, btw, replacing Desmond at short to begin the 7th. Sadly, he went 0 for 2 in his MLB debut.
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