Latest On Kurt Suzuki

5:14 pm: Suzuki will remain on the Nationals’ World Series roster, with Barry Svrluga of The Washington Post describing the catcher as “good to go” (link). Suzuki underwent an MRI earlier today, according to Todd Dybas of NBC Sports Washington (link).

Oct 25: Not only did the Nationals drop Game 3 of the World Series to the Astros on Friday, but they may have suffered a notable loss behind the plate. Kurt Suzuki departed early with a right hip flexor injury, manager Dave Martinez told Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com, Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post and other reporters. It’s not yet clear whether Suzuki will undergo an MRI.

This adds to an injury-laden month and a half for Suzuki, who missed a large portion of September while dealing with elbow issues. Suzuki has returned to serve as the Nationals’ No. 1 catcher for most of their playoff run this month, even though he took a 94 mph Walker Buehler fastball off the wrist and face in Game 5 of the NLDS against the Dodgers.

The physical beating the 36-year-old Suzuki has taken since September may help explain his recent struggles on the offensive side. After hitting a respectable .264/.324/.486 with 17 home runs in 309 regular-season plate appearances, Suzuki has fallen to 3 for 30 in the playoffs. He did homer in the Nats’ Game 2 rout over the Astros, however.

Looking ahead to Game 4, when the Nats will try for a commanding a 3-1 lead, Yan Gomes is likely to catch starter Patrick Corbin even if Suzuki’s hip problem isn’t serious. Gomes has regularly been the club’s choice at catcher when Corbin has taken the mound. As for Suzuki, Washington figures to know more on the severity of his hip troubles Saturday.