WASHINGTON -- Paul DeJong arrived at Nationals Park on Friday afternoon with positive updates to share. He had been cleared to drive and was upbeat being back in the Nationals’ clubhouse.
“The surgery went well, and I'm recovering,” DeJong said. “The eye doctor is happy with how my eye looks, and my functionality of everything is improving each day.”
DeJong is recovering from being hit in the face by a fastball from Mitch Keller on April 15 at PNC Park. He underwent procedures to address multiple injuries.
"I had a broken nose, broken orbital kind of cheek bone, [and] he fixed both of those,” DeJong, 31, said before the Nationals' 10-0 loss to the Cardinals. “Then I had a broken orbital floor, which is a bone below the eye, so he put a plate underneath my eyeball. That's probably why my eye’s so swollen, or it was for a bit, because he had to move my eye around just to get underneath and put that plate in.”
Finding out that his vision was going to be all right was “amazing” for DeJong.
“I trusted the surgeon, and I knew my nose was going to be fixable,” he said. “It was more just making sure my vision was OK because of how important that is for this sport. So I'm thankful that things could have been a lot worse. And I'm also past the dark days, and I'm into this kind of build up momentum stage.”
While DeJong hopes to return before the All-Star break, he noted “that’s so far out.” He is approaching the process one week at a time and not putting pressure on a timetable.
“I'm cleared for light activities,” DeJong said. “They want to see how I respond physically to some light [work], no weights, but kind of motions in the weight room. Nothing baseball related yet. It’s too much of a risk to have possibly any impact to my face.”
DeJong will take different rehab measures compared to previous injuries. The mental side of the process will be a factor. He believes wearing a helmet with a C flap will “give me some confidence, at least, to stand in there fearlessly.” He also may reach out to former teammate Kevin Pillar, who went through a similar injury in 2021.
“I'm glad I get to go to rehab games first, I'll tell you that,” DeJong said. “I think it'll be something new but familiar at the same time. I'm interested to see how I feel, especially once there's some close calls, because it's going to happen. I know it is. It's just baseball.
“But just to go out there and compete again, getting my feet under me and kind of focusing on playing the game physically, getting my body in shape, will help me kind of take my mind off the ‘what ifs’ or any sort of flashbacks.
“But this is part of being an athlete and being, quote-unquote, 'warriors.' I've had a lot of injuries playing this game, and you always come back and, eventually, you get to a normalcy point. So I'm confident that will return.”
The Nationals are considering various methods to re-introduce DeJong to hitting. Manager Dave Martinez said the team will take “baby steps.” They plan to start with tennis balls and go through a significant amount of work in the batting cage before hitting on the field.
“He’s a tough kid, I know that about him,” Martinez said. “Hopefully he stands in there. I don’t want to put too many things in his head. But it’s still going to be a long recovery for him … I’m going to be really, really happy when he gets back on the field just because of everything he’s been through.”
DeJong has had an invaluable support system by his side. His grandfather, Steve Whipple, traveled up from Florida to help him. To pass the time, they have been sharing their cinematic favorites with each other.
“I introduced my grandpa to some dumb movies like The Hangover and Beerfest,” DeJong said. “He introduced me to the Dirty Harry's … We traded off picking movies every night, so we each got our chance at picking the fun ones. The first Dirty Harry was really good; I didn't really know that. So I'm a big Clint Eastwood fan now, even more so than it was before.”
Whipple is scheduled to leave this weekend, and DeJong will be on his own. He plans to “go into monk mode” and focus on his health. Describing the mid-April incident as “just one of those freak plays,” DeJong is ready for the future.
“I'm thankful it wasn't worse,” DeJong said. “It happened, and now I have to deal with it. But it's OK. I'm positive about my outlook looking forward.”