The Nationals did something really gross to treat Anthony Rendon's injured toe
You don’t normally think of baseball as a sport that often leads to gruesome injuries, but then cases like that of Anthony Rendon come up and surprise you.
The Nationals third baseman fouled a ball off his left big toe Friday and has been out of the lineup since. He’s confident he’ll avoid a trip to the disabled list, according to Washington Post reporter Chelsea Janes, having recently undergone a procedure to drain the blood from his toenail.
Rendon said he’s confident he is going to beat the 10 days he would need to miss to make DL worthwhile. They drained toenail of blood. He hasn’t run yet, but wants to try today.
— Chelsea Janes (@chelsea_janes) April 17, 2018
Now, granted, I don’t know of many ways to drain a toenail of blood that aren’t gross. At some point, you’d think it probably has to involve needles and/or cutting something open. But the details as provided by Nationals sideline reporter Dan Kolko during Washington’s game against the Mets on Tuesday are so much worse than expected.
“Now that Anthony Rendon has been out of the Nationals lineup after fouling a ball off his toe, fans sitting at home might wonder how significant that could be. It doesn’t sound really like it could be that bad. I asked Anthony earlier today. He said ‘Oh, it’s painful.’ The Nationals actually drilled a hole into his toenail to drain the blood. Earmuffs, sorry about that if you’re squeamish. He’s not going to have to lose the nail fortunately.”
Yep, that’s right. Apparently, the team doctors had to drill a hole right into his toenail to get the blood out. But at least he’s keeping the toenail!
Rendon’s injury is one of many currently hampering the 8-9 Nationals, though it at least seems like he’ll be back soon. Among those currently on the 10-day DL are Daniel Murphy (knee), outfielder Adam Eaton (ankle) and outfielder Brian Goodwin (wrist), with uber-prospect Victor Robles also out.
UPDATE: Dr. Steven Neufeld, an orthopaedic surgeon in the DC area specializing in feet and ankles, reached out by email to Yahoo Sports to explain the injury. While Neufeld has not seen Rendon’s toe, he is very familiar with the condition and claims to be briefed by a physician close to the situation.
“[Rendon’s injury caused a] contusion and specifically damaging the nail bed,” Neufeld said. “Fortunately, the toe bone was not broken, but the nail bed continued to bleed, causing a buildup of pressure under the toenail. Eventually, a hematoma formed, and the pressure built up so much that the toe was extremely painful and decompression was needed. Draining the blood hematoma and relieving the pressure, as is now happening, brings quick pain relief and I anticipate Rendon will return to play very soon.”
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