Shortstop Trea Turner was not in the Washington Nationals' starting lineup on Tuesday night, a day after drawing the ire of manager Dave Martinez for failing to run out of the batter's box after a pitch hit his bat and landed in fair territory.
"I actually thought the ball hit him in the hand," Martinez said Monday night after a 6-1 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers. "(The umpire) said he bunted the ball. I was like, well why would he walk off the field? In that moment, we are trying to win a ballgame. There's a good chance he won't play tomorrow."
Wilmer Difo was in the lineup and hit seventh. Turner came into game as a pinch-runner in the 10th inning, only to get picked off and give the Brewers a 5-4 win.
Bryce Harper, meanwhile, was scratched due to a stomach issue but did come off the bench to pinch hit. He struck out in his only-at bat on the night.
As for Turner, he said Monday night that he put his bat up in "self-defense" as he thought he was going to get hit by the pitch.
"I then ended up bunting it fair somehow. By the time I got my feet underneath me, the pitcher was already standing right there," Turner said. "I probably should have ran to first."
The Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association on Tuesday announced Turner as the Nationals' winner of the 2018 Heart & Hustle Award.
Martinez said before Tuesday's game that Turner needed time to think about his actions.
"I felt after yesterday that he probably needed a day off,'' Martinez said. "Let him ponder about it. We need Trea, and he's a very good player. I don't ask these guys to be perfect, but I want them to be present, and I know he knows that. I've got a lot of respect for him.''
Turner is hitting .263 on the season with 12 homers and 40 RBIs.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
