Apr 15, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Washington Nationals third baseman Paul DeJong (14) is hit in the face by a Pittsburgh Pirates pitch during the sixth inning at PNC Park. Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Washington Nationals Injured Star Reveals Honorable Reason He Played Through Sickness

Originally posted on Washington Nationals on SI
By Dylan Sanders | Last updated Apr 21, 2025 9:38 AM ET

A Washington Nationals star should have been out on the day he ended up getting hurt, but it was recently revealed that he was playing for an honorable reason.

USA TODAY insider Bob Nightengale recently shared that Paul DeJong was sick when he got hit in the face by Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Mitch Keller, but he had told his mom he wanted to play so he could wear the No. 42 jersey for Jackie Robinson Day.

Since 2004, the entire MLB has come together to wear No. 42 on April 15 to honor the day that Jackie Robinson broke the league's color barrier.

Being able to wear that number, which has been retired by all teams in 1997, is an immense honor for any baseball player, so it makes sense as to why DeJong wanted to push through a sickness to play.

It just so happened that it ended up being the worst day of the season for him after he fractured his nose and broke a couple of bones from Keller's sixth-inning pitch.

*Graphic* Paul DeJong hit in the face by pitch from Mitch Keller pic.twitter.com/RBtuET7FoF
— FIRE SWEENEY & FIRE NEELY (@iamjoshelliott) April 16, 2025

Nightengale mentioned that the veteran third baseman is going to be out much longer than his 10-day injured list tag suggests.

This is the worst case scenario for all parties involved since the Nationals might have been looking to trade him once the deadline arrives and DeJong would like to be sent to a team with championship aspirations.

The 31-year-old was one of the more intriguing pieces of last season's trade deadline after hitting 18 home runs in the first 102 games of the campaign.

Had he been able to repeat that this year, he could have gotten a nice return for Washington.

Instead, he has posted a .204/.246/.278 slash line with 24 strikeouts to just two walks with no home runs so far this season. Now he will miss a good amount of time and will be limited in how much more he can put on his resume.

While he has struggled at third base, there hasn't been much to like from other players there for the Nationals, either.

Jose Tena has a .231/.231/231 slash line as he has yet to draw a walk or get an extra-base hit in 13 plate appearances.

Amed Rosario was another offseason pickup who could play himself into being dealt at the deadline. He has a .270/.289/.405 slash line over his first 12 games, but has not played well when moved over to third base.

Hopefully DeJong will be able to have a quick recovery and get back out onto the field for Washington.

This article first appeared on Washington Nationals on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: