Washington shortstop Alcides Escobar left the Nationals’ game against the Philadelphia Phillies in the bottom of the first inning Monday after fouling a pitch off his left leg.
Escobar fouled off a 2-1 sinker from Zack Wheeler, and the ball appeared to strike on or near his left knee. He immediately went down to the ground in obvious pain. Escobar, unable to put significant weight on the leg, was helped up and assisted off the field by manager Dave Martinez and a team trainer.
Adrian Sanchez finished the at-bat and struck out. Sanchez stayed in the game to play second base, with Luis Garcia moving to shortstop.
Escobar, 34, is hitting .280 with one homer and 12 RBIs in 44 games since the Nationals purchased his contract from the Kansas City Royals’ organization on July 3. He did not appear in the major leagues the previous two years, spending 2020 in Japan.
–Field Level Media