NEW YORK — Wilmer Difo fractured a bone in his hand diving into first base Saturday night, an unfortunate and abrupt end to the rookie’s first career start for the Nationals.
Difo suffered a fracture of the fourth metacarpal bone in his left hand, the club announced following Saturday’s 2-0 victory over the Mets. Recovery time for that type of injury is typically 6-to-8 weeks, which shouldn’t disrupt Difo’s offseason program much.
The injury occurred in the top of the third inning at Citi Field, as Difo tried to beat out a grounder to first base. With the Mets’ Michael Cuddyer tossing the ball to a hard-charging Matt Harvey, Difo dove headfirst into the base, slamming his left hand into the side of the bag.