Washington Nationals’ Paul DeJong Ruled Out 2 Months Following Nose Surgery

Veteran infielder Paul DeJong, who got in in the face by a pitch on April 15, is unlikely to rejoin the Washington Nationals’ lineup anytime soon.

DeJong suffered a broken nose and a gash under his left eye as a result of the scary play against the Pittsburgh Pirates. It took a few weeks before the swelling went down, meaning he couldn’t undergo sinus, orbital plate and nose surgery until Monday.

As reported by USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, DeJong won’t be able to play again for at least two more months. He could very well be out until the All-Star break in mid-July, costing the Nationals a key veteran for the rest of the first half of the season.

DeJong appeared in 16 games prior to his injury, batting .204 with a .523 OPS and 0.0 WAR. He had chipped in at both shortstop and third base.

After spending the first seven seasons of his MLB career with the St. Louis Cardinals, DeJong has bounced around between the Toronto Blue Jays, Chicago White Sox, Kansas City Royals and Nationals in the past 21 months alone. The 31-year-old has a lifetime WAR of 13.3.