Stuck in a month-long slump, shortstop Ian Desmond was given Friday night off by the Nationals’ coaching staff with the intention of giving him some rest, both physically and mentally. He was also out of the lineup initially on Saturday before Yunel Escobar was a late scratch due to a stomach bug.
Desmond is not used to sitting out when healthy. He led the Nats in games played in 2013 and 2014, and finished second on the team in 2010 and 2011.
But Desmond is batting just .222/.266/.341 through 69 games this year and has only 10 hits in his last 78 at-bats (.