Will the Washington Nationals OF injury impact Dylan Crews' call-up timing?

On Friday, the Washington Nationals were all about the upcoming call-up of their top talent, outfielder Dylan Crews, who is scheduled to make his Major League debut on Monday against the New York Yankees.

But a sudden injury in Friday's game could change everything.

In Washington's 3-2 loss to the Atlanta Braves, outfielder Alex Call injured his left foot on what appeared to be a serious play. He fell to the ground in pain and had to be carried off the field.

He then told reporters covering the team, including MASN Sports, that he had been battling plantar fasciitis for the past few weeks.

He said he felt something “pop” in his foot as he ran to make a play. When he spoke to reporters after the game, he had already had an MRI and it's possible he may have torn his plantar fascia.

“I'm still waiting for everyone to understand all of this, but apparently it could be a good thing,” he said. “You've probably seen me hobbling around on the field because I've been dealing with the plantar fasciitis issue, so maybe this is more of a no-brainer to relieve some of the pressure I've been feeling down there. When I heard that, I was really excited.”

Call had a batting average of .343/.425/.525/.950 in 30 games, with three home runs and 14 RBI.

However, his injury puts the Nationals in a dilemma.

Washington has only three outfielders on the active roster – Call, James Wood and Jacob Young. When Call left the game, the Nationals added Joey Gallo to the lineup. He has plenty of experience as a corner outfielder.

He could continue to play that position, but his batting average is below .200 and the Nationals want to match the left-handed Gallo up against a right-handed hitter. Atlanta will start with right-handed hitter Charlie Morton on Saturday.

The bigger problem is that Call will likely need a spot on the 10-day injured list, which will open up a spot on the active roster as early as Saturday.

It's possible the Nationals decide to call up Crews early. He's at Triple-A Rochester and they're in Pennsylvania for a series with Lehigh Valley. Crews was the first batter and went 0-for-4 as a designated hitter on Friday.

With game time on Saturday at 7:20 p.m. Eastern Time, the Nationals could easily call Crews up a little early for his MLB debut. Moving him to the IL is the easy part. The Nationals would still have to clear a spot on their 40-man roster for Crews.

The Nats' first-round pick from last year will make his MLB debut. It's just a question of whether Call's injury will hasten that.