Paul DeJong Injury: Closing in on rehab stint

DeJong (orbital bone) will meet with his surgeon Saturday and could be cleared to begin a rehab assignment early next week, Jessica Camerato of MLB.com reports.

The veteran infielder has been out since taking a Mitch Keller fastball to the face April 15. DeJong faced live pitching Wednesday for the first time since the incident, and came away feeling ready to ramp things up. "It was good to get in the box in kind of a controlled setting," DeJong said. "I didn't really have any hesitations about seeing pitches... Overall, I felt happy to be in there and I felt like it was a step in the right direction." Manager Dave Martinez indicated that DeJong would be brought along slowly once he kicks off his rehab stint, but DeJong remains on track to rejoin the Nationals' roster in early July.