When the Washington Nationals called Trea Turner to the majors at the beginning of June, manager Dusty Baker made it clear that it was only a temporary move, one required while first baseman Ryan Zimmerman was on paternity leave.
It didn’t matter that Turner was 3-for-3 in his debut. Once Zimmerman returned, Turner was ticketed back to Syracuse, the team’s Triple-A affiliate.
If the first two months of the season didn’t prove it all ready, it was clear in this moment that Baker entrusted Danny Espinosa as the team’s starting shortstop. When Turner — the Nationals’ top-rated prospect behind pitcher Lucas Giolito — was called up, Espinosa was hitting .