Stone Garrett suffered a fractured left fibula and torn ligaments in his ankle while playing against the wall at Yankee Stadium in late August 2023, but returned to the field this spring. He has been practicing hard over the winter to pick up where he left off before his injury.
“He’s worked really hard,” Nationals manager Davey Martinez told reporters after Garrett received the call to return to the majors after Andres Chaparro was placed on the paternity list this week. Ta.
“That first injury, when that injury happened, it was pretty bad,” the captain said of the scary break.
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“When I saw him in spring training doing everything he was supposed to do, I thought it was unbelievable. It’s a testament to how hard he’s been working, but until you really understand it… It took a long time,” Martinez told reporters this week. right. So it’s great to have him back here with us for a few days. He’s that guy. He gets ready and moves his tail to help. He’s been working really hard all year just to get better and get his legs right. So I’m proud of him. He worked hard and came back, which is great. ”
In the end, he still had work to do, but the fact that Garrett made progress between August and February or March impressed his manager.
“I saw him in spring training and my mouth literally dropped when I saw what he was doing,” Martinez said. [about] I want to come back and play. When I talked to him in late spring, I told him, “We really need to get it right.” I know you want to come back, I know you want to come back, but go out and play baseball and get in shape.’ Because it was a really bad injury. But I’m glad he’s here and I’m glad to see him. ”
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It’s a win-win for everyone to have Garrett back with the team and playing alongside some of the more highly regarded young players in the organization.
“He was that guy last year — he did a really good job for us — he was such a quiet leader down there all the way, so yeah, that’s the kind of guy he is,” Martinez said. I explained.
“He walks into a room and you feel his presence. So there were a lot of guys that were really happy to see him in the room today.”
“I feel like I’m being called again,” Garrett said after returning to Nationals Park. Quoted by Jessica Camerato of MLB.com.
“The energy is high. There’s no feeling like that when you go back to a major league stadium and look at everyone’s faces. It feels great.”
Before last night’s game, Martinez spoke about the decision to throw Garrett into the game for the first time since his return.
“He’s a left-handed pitcher,” Martinez said of the starting right-handed slugger.
“I just wanted to get him out there and I felt like he deserved a chance to get back there. Hey, he did some really good things for us last year until he got injured. He has been working hard to get back on track, so I wanted to give him an at-bat today.”
Garrett’s first at-bat was in the bottom of the third inning of the home half, leading 1-2, going up 2-0, getting a strike for a first foul, and spitting on a curveball. He deflected wide and then hit a low curveball 431 feet to left-center field of Ranger Suarez to give the Nationals a 3-0 lead. phillies In the end, we won 9-1.
After forcing a ground ball in his second at-bat, Garrett hit a RBI home run in the fourth inning for a 7-0 run, then led off with a double in the seventh, leaving him three innings short of the cycle.
He allowed a hit in the 8th inning, but he gave up a walk after two outs. His manager was excited about the three-hit game.
“Obviously, there were a lot of emotions running high,” Martinez said. “I’m very happy for him.
“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. He loves the game, he loves hitting, he wants to win.
“Today was an unbelievable performance. Like I said, he worked hard to get back here, got a chance to DH, got some at-bats and did really well. ”
“I don’t even know the words to describe it,” Garrett said after the game. Quoted by Mark Zuckerman of MASNhis own reaction to the home run. “I passed out as I rounded the bases.”
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Watching Garrett pull off a double was another big step and moment in his comeback.
“I kept watching him and he ran really well,” Martinez said. “It was awesome to see him get to second base, slide in and hit a double there. Like I said, I can’t say enough about the guy himself. He’s a really great guy. And his teammates love him. He’s just that guy.”
Okay, he’s the guy. Martinez continues to say so.
So what does “that person” do for the team?
“He’s always smiling. He’s always happy. He’s always aware of what’s going on, but he’s also a competitor and always pulls his teammates. He’s just that guy. He had a really good year last year until he got injured. He came back to spring training wanting to play again and although he had some setbacks, he played all year and stuck with it and came back here. The fact that I came and did what I did today was really amazing.”
