Alcides

Escobar

With Luis Garcia having taken over as the club’s starting shortstop and Escobar seeing only limited work in a reserve role, the Nationals have granted him his outright release. The 35-year-old has slashed a woeful .218/.260/.282 with no homers and eight RBI in 131 plate appearances on the season. It’s unclear if he’ll look to latch on elsewhere or will decide to hang his cleats up for good. His departure clears a spot for Luke Voit to join the active roster on Thursday.

Alcides Escobar will be making his first start at shortstop in this one since being activated from the injured list back on June 21.

It’s not a surprise at all, but it’s nice to have confirmation. Since Escobar went down with a right hamstring strain on June 1, García has played exceptionally well as the starter at shortstop for the Nationals as seen in a .342/.354/.481 slash over 82 plate appearances. The 22-year-old is well worth roster consideration for those who need help up the middle, even acknowledging that he can’t possibly put up this pace for the rest of the season.

Escobar wrapped up a minor league rehab assignment for Triple-A Rochester, and rejoins the Nationals in a bench role behind starting shortstop Luis García, on Tuesday evening after missing three weeks due to a right hamstring strain. The 35-year-old veteran infielder has hit .220/.264/.288 with zero homers and one steal in 125 plate appearances this season.

Escobar launched a solo homer in his first at-bat for the Red Wings on Wednesday evening, finishing 1-for-3 in the opening contest of his rehab assignment. The 35-year-old veteran shortstop has been out since late May due to a right hamstring strain. He should be back before the end of the month.

Escobar has been able to field ground balls and resume hitting, but is still dealing with discomfort in his right hamstring when he runs. It doesn’t sound like he’s close to a return at the moment.

Escobar suffered the injury in Tuesday night’s blowout loss to the Mets. He called it a cramp after the game, but further testing apparently revealed the strain. Luis García has been called up from Triple-A Rochester in a corresponding move to fill the vacancy at shortstop.

There was some initial fear that he might have strained his right hamstring, but the veteran shortstop checked out fine with the Nationals’ medical staff and should be available again after a little bit of rest and treatment.

Dee Strange-Gordon took over at shortstop, with Lane Thomas entering the game in left field. Escobar was 0-for-1 with a groundout before his early departure. Look for a diagnosis late Tuesday or sometime Wednesday.

Escobar plated the Nationals’ lone run of the contest with an RBI ground out in the seventh inning against Astros’ lefty Framer Valdez. The 35-year-old veteran shortstop missed three consecutive games earlier this week due to a left finger nail infection.