Stone Garrett returned to the field in spring training this year, just months after suffering a fractured left fibula and torn ligaments in his ankle while trying to play on the Yankee Stadium outfield wall in late August 2023.
Garrett, 28, who made his major league debut in 2022 after a long and unique path to the big leagues, told reporters that when he showed up on the final day of the 2024 season, it felt like he was debuting all over again.
“It’s like being called up to the big leagues again,” Garrett said. Quoted by Mark Zuckerman of MASN. “Honestly, it feels like it’s the first time I’ve been called upon.”
Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images
“He’s worked really hard,” Nationals captain Davey Martinez told reporters when Garrett informed him of his return in late September. “The first injury, when it happened, it was pretty bad. When I saw him do everything in spring training, I thought, “This is unbelievable.” It’s a testament to how hard he’s worked, but it took him a long time to really get it right. So it’s great to have him back here with us for a few days. That’s the guy. He’s been working his tail off to get ready and help. He’s been working really hard all year just to get his legs right. I’m proud of him. He worked hard and came back, which is great.”
Garrett also admitted that he worked hard leading up to spring training and that it was great to get back to training so quickly, but that he rushed things a little too quickly.
“When I came back, there was a point where I wasn’t thinking about competing. I was just surviving,” he told reporters.
“That’s when I realized I probably rushed back too fast. That’s okay. I wanted to compete. No one rushed me back. I wanted to compete.”
Garrett spent a year in Triple-A trying to get 100% healthy and eventually came back.
“I just wanted to get him out there and I felt like he deserved an opportunity to get back there,” Martinez said after adding Garrett to the lineup for the first time in over a year. “Hey, he did really good things for us last year until he got injured and has been working his way back, so I wanted to give him an at-bat today.
Garrett hit a home run in his first at-bat of the season, and in the two games he played, he went 3-for-5 with a double and a walk.
“I’m very happy for him,” Martinez said after Garrett went 3-for-4 with a double and a home run in Game 1. “Like I said, he worked hard to get back. It was great for him to go up there and do what he did today. It really was. It’s a testament to the kind of person he is. He loves the game, he loves hitting, he wants to win. It was an unbelievable performance today. Like I said, he worked hard to get back here, got a chance to DH, got some at-bats and did really well.”
Now he’s going through another winter trying to get as close to his pre-injury form as possible.
“He still has to work,” Martinez said.
“That was a serious injury, so he has to work this winter to keep getting better and getting stronger. I feel like he still has a little bit of a limp when he runs. I don’t know if it’s going to go away, but he has to keep the rest of his body in good shape as always.”
There’s no doubt in Martinez’s mind that Garrett will put in the effort, and even if he can’t get back to 100% before his injury, he could still contribute to a major league roster.
“I think time will tell, but I really do. I think we saw enough in spring training when he was trying to come back that he could come back,” Martinez said. return. “
