Kendrick smacked his helmet in frustration as he walked down the dugout steps. The 35-year-old utility man missed almost all of last season with a torn right Achilles’ tendon, and a speedy rehab had him ready for the start of spring training. But now he faces another setback, and Kendrick said he may undergo an MRI exam Wednesday to assess the damage and determine his next steps.

“Just felt my hamstring grab. I don’t know how severe it is right now,” Kendrick said. “Right when I felt it, I tried to slow down as much as possible, so that’s all I can really tell you right now. It grabbed on me, and hopefully it’s not that bad.”

AD

AD

Coaches, players and the front office have essentially counted Kendrick as another offseason addition because he played just 40 games last year before the Achilles’ tear. When healthy, Kendrick can be used at second base, first base, third base and in the corner outfield spots. He also has a .291 career batting average and figured to be a key right-handed pinch hitter this season. This all makes a potential injury even more troublesome; Kendrick’s versatility and clubhouse presence are seen as vital for this team.

At the start of spring training, Kendrick was a near-full participant in drills and conditioning. The Nationals were monitoring his running then, in mid-February, but Kendrick had also told Manager Dave Martinez to not hold him back once he reported. He has since appeared in games as often as Washington’s other major leaguers (about every other day), and has started at first, second, third and as a designated hitter. He was playing first base against Boston on Tuesday when, after driving in Trea Turner with an infield single, he felt pain in his hamstring.

“A lot of people were asking me, ‘Oh, is it your Achilles’?' " Kendrick said. “No, if it were my Achilles’ I wouldn’t be walking right now. I’m thankful it wasn’t that. But no, yeah, hamstring. I figure we can deal with that, but hopefully we can get it back in shape quickly and get back on the field.”

AD

AD

The Nationals have their first full day off Wednesday and will return to the field against the visiting New York Mets on Thursday. They have been mostly healthy to this point, with reliever Koda Glover sidelined with a forearm strain and reliever Justin Miller working back from a muscle strain in his lower back. Kendrick will join them on the sideline, at least for the time being, and the Nationals will soon learn how bad his strain is. They are counting on the 13-year veteran to join starter Patrick Corbin, catchers Kurt Suzuki and Yan Gomes, second baseman Brian Dozier, relievers Trevor Rosenthal and Kyle Barraclough, veteran starters Anibal Sanchez and Jeremy Hellickson, and first baseman Matt Adams as the new faces, some newer than others, that could make 2019 better than 2018.

And they will hope that hasn’t changed.

“These things happen, and you can’t really foresee it. All you can do is play baseball,” Kendrick said. “It kind of sucks that it happened, but I guess if it’s going to happen, it’s better before the season than during the season.”

AD

AD