NEW YORK – Rookie Daylen Lile walked off the field on his own following a scary collision with the left-field side wall Sunday afternoon at Citi Field.
The 22-year-old exited the game with a left knee contusion.
“As soon as I made impact, I hit that wall pretty hard,” Lile said after the Nationals’ 3-2 win over the Mets. “For me to be able to move it and walk around like I did, it was just a blessing.”
Chasing down a Cedric Mullins fly ball in the third inning, Lile slammed into the wall as he slid with his right leg outstretched and his left leg bent. Lile’s left knee banged into the concrete underneath the padding of the wall. He fell back on impact and rolled over in pain, grabbing his left knee.
Luis Torrens scored from second base as Nasim Nuñez ran out from shortstop to gather the ball. Mullins was credited with an RBI single.
“You’re thinking the worst running over there,” said center fielder Jacob Young. “You see a guy in pain. You’ve seen other people go into walls and awful things happen. At that moment, I’m worried about him. The play’s going on a little bit there, honestly, but I just wanted to get out there to make sure nothing crazy was happening.”
An injury delay was called as the Nationals’ staff attended to Lile. Medics brought out a wheelchair from an opening in the left-field wall, but Lile was able to walk to the dugout on his own without assistance.
“I was like, ‘Get that out of my face,’” Lile said with a smile. “I saw the wheelchair come out and they asked me if I wanted to be carted off the field. I was like, ‘No, let me just try to walk it out.’”
Lile did not require an X-ray. His treatment will include ice, elevation, movement and use of a Normatec.
This is not the first time Lile has had an injury scare. In Spring Training last year, Lile was carted off the field after falling into the Red Sox bullpen attempting to rob a home run at JetBlue Park. He was diagnosed with a back contusion, but he began the season on time. Lile missed the entire 2022 season because of Tommy John surgery.
“He’s a dog,” said starting pitcher Jake Irvin. “He’s always been so supportive coming in the locker room, telling me he’s always got my back, and he showed it with a play like that. Love the effort, but when you see a guy end up on the ground, at what cost? I’m just happy to hear that he’s OK and moving around well right now.”
Lile, who debuted on May 23, has been one of the hottest-hitting rookies in baseball. He entered Sunday slashing .331/.379/.569 with eight doubles, 10 triples, five home runs (including an inside-the-park homer on Saturday), 27 RBIs, 31 runs scored and five stolen bases since July 21.
Among all National League rookies, he ranks first in batting average (.290), slugging percentage (.479) and OPS (.818). He tied Denard Span for the Nationals team record (2005-present) of most triples (11) in a single season.
“I just try to play every game like it’s my last,” said Lile. “You never know when this game is going to be taken away from you, and I just want to give everything I had for myself and for my team.”