WASHINGTON — The Nationals lost baseball’s hottest slugger to an apparent right leg injury when Kyle Schwarber was removed in the second inning of Washington’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday night.
Schwarber singled to the right-center-field gap and grimaced while rounding first. He made a hard stop as Cody Bellinger cut off the line drive and reached for his right hamstring after he returned to first base.
Manager Dave Martinez and a team trainer came to check on Schwarber, who immediately walked off the field. Schwarber yanked off his batting gloves and threw them as he limped through the dugout.
The left fielder set a franchise record with 16 homers in June — seven of them leading off a game — as he helped the Nationals turn their season around and climb back into the NL East race. He became the third player in major league history to hit 16 homers in 18 games, and only Sammy Sosa (20 in 1998) has hit more homers in June.
Earlier Friday, Schwarber was named NL Player of the Month.
Gerardo Parra replaced Schwarber for a Nationals team that has been beset by injuries. Trea Turner has missed the past two games with a finger injury, and the team is also without starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg, among several others.