Gallo lands on IL with shoulder sprain, Call recalled from Rochester

MIAMI – The Nationals had another new face in their clubhouse at loanDepot park today as Alex Call joined the team from Triple-A Rochester to take the roster spot of the now-injured Joey Gallo.

Gallo landed on the 10-day injured list this afternoon with a left shoulder AC sprain and Call was recalled as another outfielder off the bench.

“Joey's been dealing with a left shoulder. He has an AC joint sprain,” manager Davey Martinez said during his pregame session with the media. “So we just want to get it to calm down a little bit and get him some strength back in there. Alex Call has been playing really well. I thought about just bringing another right-handed bat up, we're really left-handed heavy. So having him will help.”

Gallo, signed to a one-year, $5 million contract this offseason, was brought in to provide some power to a Nats lineup that was last in the National League in home runs last year. But the first baseman/designated hitter/outfielder has struggled to begin the year, slashing .122/.286/.311 with a .597 OPS, five doubles, three homers, five RBIs, 15 walks and a major league-leading 43 strikeouts.

The 30-year-old has struck out 22 times in his last 28 at-bats over his last 10 games.

“It's been going on for probably six or seven days,” Martinez said. “He thought he could play through it. He's been getting treatment. Obviously, he came in yesterday and said it's still pretty sore. So we made the decision to go ahead and put him on the IL. I think it's best for him. We want to get him healthy. He said it bothered him when he swings. So like I said, we're gonna build up some strength back up in there, give him a couple of days rest, get him back going again. And then hopefully, this won't take long.”

Call, meanwhile, joins the Nationals for the first time this season. Although he had a strong spring, he didn’t make the Opening Day roster in the outfield, which was filled by minor league signings Jesse Winker and Eddie Rosario.

“It's obviously great. It's good to see all the guys,” Call said of rejoining the Nats. “Just want to come up here and do my part to help us win. It's a great feeling to be back up and I always enjoy my time.”

Call has been providing some surprising power for Rochester. He is tied for the organizational lead with six home runs, three of which came this last week while he went 6-for-19 (.316) with a double, eight RBIs and four walks in five games.

“It's just about getting a good pitch and trusting the swing, trusting the process and then just kind of going out there and playing,” he said. “I can't really explain it, but I know that I have a lot of confidence in myself. Really just ready to do whatever up here.”

While he’s here, the plan is for Call to platoon off the bench in the corner outfield spots while Jacob Young mans center field. It’s unclear how long he will be here, however, as Victor Robles is set to begin a minor league rehab assignment next week coming back from a left hamstring strain and it’s uncertain how long Gallo will need to recover.

“He can play good defense, he can play all three outfield positions,” Martinez said of Call. “He's been doing really well down there. We're glad to have him back. He'll get a chance to play here. I'll try to get him in as soon as I can. He's very familiar with the role, so we're glad to have him back.”

“You work hard all offseason no matter what,” Call said of his early season success. “But I think when you have time to be able to make adjustments and implement them and just keep working, you know, we're professional athletes and we're going to take advantage of that time. So I went to work in the offseason and felt really confident about the work that I put in. I'm excited to be here now and help the team.”