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Nats' Logan Suffers a Leg Injury
Nook Logan screams after incurring what the team labeled a strained groin; he was trying to return to first base.
(By Preston Keres -- The Washington Post)
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The reason: Casto. Though the 25-year-old has never played above Class AA, he has won over the Nationals coaches and front office with his patient approach at the plate, tireless work ethic -- including almost daily appearances in the batting cages before 7 a.m. -- and willingness to play whatever position he is asked, from left field to third base to first base.
"It's good to be able to do multiple things," said Casto, who went 0 for 4 Saturday but is still hitting .324 with six walks in 40 plate appearances. "If something does happen, I'm not just limited to one spot. If they needed somebody to come up or whatever, I could play three or four or five positions."
Acta believes Casto's natural position is the one he might fill if Logan's injury is, indeed, serious: left field.
"He's got very good instincts back there," Acta said. "He moves very well. He's got a strong arm."
All of that had some staff members wondering, even before Logan went down on Saturday, how the club might be able to keep Casto without losing Snelling or Church, who are both out of options and could be claimed by another club if the Nationals tried to send them to the minors.
One potential solution: keeping only 11 pitchers, rather than the 12 that were in the original plans because of what is expected to be a shaky starting rotation. Originally, Acta said he would not want Casto to be in the majors unless he was able to play every day. But Casto's performance during spring training changed that.
"We're reevaluating that situation," Acta said. "Casto's 25 years old. I think that even if we got him up here [and into games] two, three times a week, we could keep him up here . . . because we're not talking about a 20-year-old guy where we don't want him sitting [on the bench] up here. We think he can handle it."
Logan's injury is potentially the most serious in what has largely been a healthy camp for Washington. Before Saturday, right-hander Jason Simontacchi strained his right groin, an injury that could cost him a turn in the rotation during the season's first week. Catcher Brian Schneider is scheduled to return Sunday from a hamstring strain that cost him a week. Right-hander John Patterson suffered from dehydration Saturday, though club officials don't believe the condition to be serious.
"It could've been worse," Acta said. "A couple of guys have had 'Tommy John surgery' already on other clubs. That's why I keep telling [the media], I can't give you a 25-man roster now, because too many things can happen."
