Well, here’s one way for the Nationals to open a critical homestand: With a surprise promotion of top prospect Trea Turner from Class AAA Syracuse. That move was not expected, at least not until rosters expand on Sept. 1, but obviously Mike Rizzo felt it was time to do something that might inject some life in this club.
We’re still waiting for tonight’s lineup, so we really can’t say yet how Turner will be used, whether he’ll be displacing somebody on a regular basis or whether he’s just here to come off the bench. One word of caution: There was a lot made initially of the Nats’ promotion of Wilmer Difo to the big leagues earlier this summer, and he barely played at all.