Nationals starter Jeremy Hellickson was pulled from Saturday’s game against the Braves after sustaining an apparent wrist injury. He came up to bat in the top of the fourth inning and took a swing against the Braves’ Julio Teheran when he suddenly clenched his right wrist and walked off the field. The full extent of the injury is still unclear, but it was serious enough to prevent the right-hander from returning to the mound in the bottom half of the frame.
Prior to the incident, Hellickson pitched three full innings of one-run, one-strikeout ball, marking his first start in the majors after coming off of the disabled list with a right wrist sprain earlier this week. He owns a 5-3 record in 19 starts with a 3.45 ERA, 1.9 BB/9 and 6.4 SO/9 through 91 1/3 innings in 2018.
After walking back to the dugout, the righty was swiftly replaced in the lineup by pinch-hitter Andrew Stevenson, while fellow right-hander Jefry Rodriguez assumed his spot on the mound as Atlanta came up to bat in the bottom of the fourth. With Juan Soto’s RBI single in the first inning (the cherry on top of his record-setting three steals) and Adam Eaton’s RBI walk in the fourth, the Nationals currently lead the Braves 2-1 in the sixth.