Nationals corner infielder/designated hitter Jeimer Candelario has the look of an attractive trade candidate here in the next few days, especially with it being such a seller's market with so many buyers. There was a bit of a scare on Friday night, though, when he appeared to injure his shoulder on an umpire during a weird play while sliding into second base.
Candelario sent a grounder up the middle that glanced off the mound and a glove before making its way into center field as a single. He went for the hustle double as the ball died in shallow center field, but was tagged out at second by the Mets' Jeff McNeil. As he was gathering himself, he appeared to reach out toward the umpire -- whether by accident or not -- and that seems to be what injured his left shoulder.
Take a look:
Fortunately, it appears Candelario avoided more than just a tweak. After the game, Candelario told reporters he was worried for a second but then took some swings in the batting cage and felt "fine." (Via Mark Zuckerman)
Candelario was most recently ranked as the seventh-best trade candidate here on CBS Sports. He is hitting .254/.335/.478 this season with 29 doubles, two triples, 16 homers, 52 RBI and 55 runs in 97 games. He's mostly played third base, but has seen some time in the past at first and obviously can serve as DH, as he was doing Friday.
Even if it turns out the injury is enough to put Candelario on the injured list, but not serious enough to cost him multiple months, he could still be a trade candidate. A recent example of an injured slugger being traded from the Nationals came in 2021 when Kyle Schwarber was sent to the Red Sox. If Candelario avoids the IL, he's obviously still a candidate.
Candelario is set to hit free agency after this season, cementing his status as a possible rental this trade deadline.
