Nationals recall Carter Kieboom, place Jordy Mercer on IL originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
In their quest to close ground on the division lead in the NL East, the Washington Nationals announced an infield adjustment on Saturday. Infielder Carter Kieboom has been recalled to the squad from Triple-A Rochester, as fellow INF Jordy Mercer has been placed on the 10-day Injured List with a calf strain.
We're making it easier for you to find stories that matter with our new newsletter — The 4Front. Sign up here and get news that is important for you to your inbox.
In 44 games with Triple-A Rochester, the 23-year-old Kieboom hit .236 with seven doubles, five home runs, 23 RBI, 26 walks and 26 runs scored. This will be his second stint with the Nats this season after going 0-for-1 with a walk in two games in April.
Mercer is just the latest Nat to be hit by the injury bug. He joins a laundry list of Washington players currently on the IL, such as Kyle Schwarber, Yan Gomes and Alex Avila. The 34-year-old has hit .267 with four RBI and 10 runs scored in 37 games this year.
Washington’s bats are depleted at the worst possible time as the team tries to make up ground against the division-leading Mets, who sit seven games above the Nationals in the standings entering Saturday. The MLB trade deadline is July 30.
