Nick Senzel started the 2024 season hoping to make a comeback with the Washington Nationals in Major League Baseball. But his plans hit a snag when he broke his right thumb.
The injury happened while Senzel was practicing before the Opening Day game against his old team, the Cincinnati Reds. Because of the injury, he couldn’t play in the game, and Ildemaro Vargas filled in for him at third base.
Senzel used to be a highly promising player in baseball, drafted second overall by the Reds in 2016. However, injuries kept getting in the way. He hurt his right index finger in 2018, then dealt with a torn labrum in 2019. In 2021, a knee injury limited him to just 36 games.
After the Reds decided not to keep him this past winter, Senzel became a free agent. The Nationals signed him for one year, hoping he could help them at third base, a position they’ve been struggling to fill since Anthony Rendon left.
But now, Senzel’s return to the field is on hold because of this latest injury, which happened in his old home ballpark, adding to the disappointment.
