What happened to Jeimer Candelario? Nationals slugger exits game vs Cardinals early

After the first inning, Washington Nationals infielder Jeimer Candelario was pulled from the game against the St. Louis Cardinals. It is uncertain whether Candelario hurt himself on a swing and miss or if the early exit is for something else.

Candelario recently injured his knee before the All-Star break. Notably, he took a pitch off the knee on July 6th, which sidelined him for a few games.

Ildemaro Vargas replaced Candelario after his first-inning at-bat. Given the Nationals' chances of making the postseason this year, many see them as sellers. If Candelario did not hurt himself, he could have been on the move.

In 85 games so far, Candelario is hitting .261/.337/.478 with 13 home runs and five stolen bases. He has split his playing time between being the team's DH and covering third base.

He is having one of his better seasons at the plate. He has toned down his aggressiveness offensively and instead is sitting on pitches. He chased pitches out of the zone at a 36.8% clip. This season, he has decreased that number to 32.6%.

Jeimer Candelario could be on the move

Washington Nationals v Philadelphia Phillies

One team that has come out trying to land Candelario is the Chicago Cubs. They are without shortstop Dansby Swanson, who is recovering on the IL from a heel contusion. They are also without Nick Madrigal, who is dealing with a hamstring strain.

Jeimer Candelario is a switch-hitting infielder who could help the Cubs with the holes in their infield. Acquiring him would take the pressure off Patrick Widom and Miles Mastrobuoni from making multiple starts in a row. Candelario also has experience playing first base as well as third.

While he will be a free agent at the end of the year, Chicago will have to decide if renting him for the season will put them over the edge. They are currently seven games behind the Cincinnati Reds and 6.5 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers.