Trea Turner returning to Nationals on Tuesday

After getting Max Scherzer and Jayson Werth back Monday night, the Nationals will get shortstop Trea Turner back on Tuesday night.

On Monday night against the Miami Marlins, the Washington Nationals got ace Max Scherzer and outfielder Jayson Werth back from the disabled list for key roles in an 11-2 victory. After the game, manager Dusty Baker announced shortstop Trea Turner will return from the 60-day disabled list on Tuesday night.

Turner was it by a pitch and suffered a broken right wrist on June 29, and he was transferred to the 60-day DL on Aug. 16. He started a rehab assignment last week, and Tuesday would be the earliest he can be activated.

At the time of his injury, Turner had a .279/.324/.422 slash-line with seven home runs, 32 RBI, 53 runs scored and 35 stolen bases in 41 attempts. Even after being out for two months, he is still third in the National League in stolen bases.

The Nationals have maintained clear control of the NL East with Turner out, as they hold a 13-game lead over the Marlins entering Tuesday and they’re tied for the second-best record in baseball (79-51). Wilmer Difo has exceeded expectations offensively in Turner’s place recently, hitting .287 with 19 RBI and eight stolen bases in the big leagues this season, but there’s no replacing Turner and the Nationals have missed him at the top of the lineup.

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After years of postseason underachievement, the Nationals are starting to get some key players back from injury at just the right time. Maintaining that full complement of players through September and of course into October will be the priority, once Bryce Harper returns from a knee injury that was not as severe as it looked. Harper is expected to be out until mid-to-late September, but shutting him down so he can be ready for the playoffs seems like a real possibility.