- The Nationals already added righty Sterling Sharp and outfielder Jeremy De La Rosa earlier today (as covered here), and this afternoon they announced two more additions: infielders Jackson Cluff and Drew Mendoza. Both have reported to the alternate site in Fredricksburg. Cluff was a 2019 sixth-rounder who spent his first pro season in Single-A, where he batted .229/.320/.367 with five homers and 11 steals in 280 trips to the plate. The 23-year-old is now generally regarded as one of the Nationals’ top 20 prospects. Mendoza, another 2019 draft choice (third round, No. 94), hovers around Washington’s top 10 farmhands at multiple outlets. The 22-year-old also spent 2019 at Single-A, slashing .264/.377/.383 with four HRs and three steals in 239 plate appearances.
Nationals Rumors
Nationals Add Sterling Sharp, Jeremy De La Rosa To Player Pool
9:45am: The Nats are adding Sharp and outfield prospect Jeremy De La Rosa to their 60-man player pool, Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post reports (via Twitter). Both will head to the team’s alternate training site in Fredricksburg. De La Rosa, 18, ranks 15th among Nats farmhands at MLB.com and at FanGraphs. He’ll be able to get some developmental reps with the club’s staff now, although being added to the 60-man pool also makes him eligible to be directly included in a trade to another club (as opposed to being shipped off as a PTBNL).
8:50am: The Marlins have returned right-hander Sterling Sharp, their pick in last year’s Rule 5 Draft, to the Nationals, per a team announcement from the Nats. Miami designated Sharp for assignment earlier this week, and the fact that he was returned indicates he went unclaimed on outright waivers.
Sharp, 25, appeared in four games with the Fish but struggled in his final two outings. Overall, he was tagged for seven runs (six earned) on seven hits, five walks and a hit batter with three strikeouts in 5 1/3 frames. Sharp’s heavy sinker helped him keep the ball on the ground at a 65 percent clip in his brief time with the Marlins. However, the Marlins were forced to make a broad-reaching series of moves in the wake of their team-wide Covid-19 outbreak, one of which was to designate Sharp for assignment. It’s eminently possible that this outcome would’ve occurred eventually anyhow, particularly in light of his struggles.
Regardless, Sharp now returns to the Nats and gives them a relatively near-term option for their pitching staff. He’s not on the 40-man roster but could emerge as a candidate for a big league call up before long. Sharp logged 49 2/3 frames in Double-A last year, pitching to a 3.99 ERA and 2.59 FIP with 8.2 K/9, 2.5 BB/9, 0.18 HR/9 and a whopping 63.3 percent ground-ball rate.
Seven Games Postponed On Thursday
6:23PM: Tonight’s game between the Marlins and Mets will not be played. As relayed by several reporters, players on both teams took part in a powerful symbolic moment, with Mets players taking their usual positions in the field and the other Mets and Marlins players standing outside their dugouts. After a 42-second moment of silence in honor of Jackie Robinson, all players tipped and waved their caps at one another before departing the field, with a Black Lives Matter t-shirt left atop home plate.
5:41PM: The game between the Orioles and Rays will also not be played. Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter site) was among those to note the lack of normal pregame activity between the two clubs, and equipment being packed up from both dugouts.
5:06PM: Tonight’s game between the Rockies and Diamondbacks has also been postponed, as per Bob Nightengale of USA Today (Twitter link).
3:51PM: Players on the Nationals and Phillies collectively decided to postpone tonight’s game, as per a Phillies media release.
3:21PM: The Red Sox have decided not to play their game against the Blue Jays tonight, Julian McWilliams of the Boston Globe reports (via Twitter).
3:04PM: Tonight’s game between the Twins and Tigers will also be postponed, according to MLB Network’s Jon Heyman (Twitter link). Twins and Tigers players each voted against playing the game, as respectively reported by The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and MLB.com’s Jason Beck.
1:42PM: Phillies players have voted against playing their scheduled game versus the Nationals tonight, Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports (via Twitter). ESPN’s Jeff Passan tweets that the Rangers/Athletics game will also be postponed tonight. Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle tweeted shortly prior that the A’s were giving strong consideration to opting not to play. Passan tweeted earlier that Red Sox players were also considering a decision not to play against the Blue Jays.
Today’s decisions follow several clubs who declined to play yesterday in the wake of the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin. In total, three MLB games — Brewers/Reds, Mariners/Padres and Dodgers/Giants were postponed yesterday. All three are expected to be made up in doubleheaders today.
Last night, Major League Baseball issued the following statement in response to teams’ decisions to protest:
“Given the pain in the communities of Wisconsin and beyond following the shooting of Jacob Blake, we respect the decisions of a number of players not to play tonight. MLB remains united for change in our society & we will be allies in the fight to end racism and injustice.”
Similar protests were made in the NBA, where the scheduled postseason games Wednesday and Thursday were all postponed. The current expectation is for the NBA to resume play Saturday (link via HoopsRumors).
Nationals Option Carter Kieboom, Activate Sean Doolittle
The Nationals announced Wednesday that they’ve optioned struggling third baseman Carter Kieboom to their alternate training site in order to open a spot on the roster for lefty Sean Doolittle, who has been reinstated from the injured list.
Though Kieboom has yet to find his groove at the plate in 2020, it’s still a surprise to see the Nats option him out. The organizational hope had been that the 22-year-old, long considered one of MLB’s top overall prospects, could step into the Anthony Rendon-sized void in that lineup. That’s not to say that anyone expected the 2016 first-rounder to single-handedly make up for Rendon’s lost production, but Kieboom has been touted as a potentially plus hitter in his own right.
The future for Kieboom may still be bright, but he’s yet to find success in multiple big league auditions. He’s without an extra-base hit through 64 plate appearances this year, and he’s batted a combined .169/.299/.236 in 107 PAs dating back to last year’s debut. Clearly, that’s a far cry from last year’s .303/.409/.493 slash in 494 trips to the plate with Triple-A Fresno.
With Kieboom now out of the mix at third base and Starlin Castro on the shelf following surgery to repair a fractured wrist, the Nats will need to lean more heavily on the veteran trio of Asdrubal Cabrera, Josh Harrison and Howie Kendrick to carry the freight at second and third base. Kendrick has been limited to first base and DH exclusively in 2020, but he did appear in 23 games at second base and 15 games at third base during the 2019 regular season. Depending on how the Nats approach Monday’s looming trade deadline, we could see them look to add some infield depth — although starting pitching seems like a greater area of focus with Stephen Strasburg lost for the year and 60 percent of the rotation struggling to ERAs north of 5.00.
Stephen Strasburg Undergoes Carpal Tunnel Surgery
Stephen Strasburg underwent surgery to alleviate carpal tunnel syndrome in his right hand earlier today, Nationals manager Dave Martinez tells reporters (Twitter link via Todd Dybas of NBC Sports Washington). Surgery was already known to be in store for Strasburg, who was placed on the 45-day injured list over the weekend. He’ll be out for the remainder of the 2020 season. The team has yet to provide a timeline for his recovery, though the hope is that he’ll be ready to go in 2021.
The 32-year-old Strasburg appeared in just two games this year and has otherwise been shelved by ongoing issues in his right hand. He was diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome a bit more than a week ago and, after visiting with a specialist late last week, made the decision on Saturday to undergo surgery.
The absence of Strasburg has surely played a role in a pedestrian season for the Nats, who currently sit at 11-16, placing them last in the National League East. Washington, of course, famously rallied from a dismal start to the 2019 season as well, but if they’re to enjoy a similar Cinderella tale in 2020, they’ll need to do so without the help of last year’s World Series MVP.
With Strasburg sidelined, the Nats have been leaning on a combination of Max Scherzer, Patrick Corbin, Anibal Sanchez, Austin Voth and Erick Fedde as their primary starters. Scherzer has had some uncharacteristic struggles but still posted passable results, but each of Sanchez (6.48 ERA), Voth (6.65) and Fedde (5.11) has struggled considerably. There’s no indication yet as to how the Nats plan to proceed at this year’s Aug. 31 trade deadline, but considering the fact that virtually the entire National League (Pittsburgh excluded) is within two and a half games of a Wild Card spot, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Washington pursue some affordable rotation upgrades — both to bolster its hopes in 2020 and perhaps to reinforce the staff in subsequent campaigns.
Martinez also revealed Wednesday that lefty Seth Romero, the Nationals’ first-round pick from 2017 who made his MLB debut earlier this year, will undergo surgery to place a pin his fractured right hand (Twitter link via Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post). Martinez explained recently that Romero suffered the fracture when he slipped on some stairs and braced for the fall with his right hand. While it’s fortunate for his long-term outlook that the injury wasn’t in his pitching hand, the procedure seems likely to end Romero’s season.
The 24-year-old Romero allowed four runs in 2 2/3 innings over three appearances in his first taste of the Majors. He’d missed much of the 2018 season and all of the 2019 season due to an elbow injury that ultimately required Tommy John surgery. To this point, Romero has still thrown only 50 professional innings.
Mike Rizzo On Nationals’ Deadline Plans
The Nationals “are still assessing what we have and the deadline,” GM Mike Rizzo told reporters (including the Washington Post’s Jesse Dougherty and MASNsports.com’s Byron Kerr) today about the club’s plans heading towards August 31. But while the Nats may not have their shopping list quite ready, Rizzo made it clear that his club is planning to be buyers.
“We’re here to win the World Series this year, and that never changes in my mind or in [manager Dave Martinez’s] mind or the owner’s mind,” Rizzo said. “We’re here to win, and we’re very, very competitive. If we see a place to improve ourselves in a deal that makes sense for us, we’re never afraid to pull the trigger.”
Today’s 9-3 victory over the Marlins improved the Nationals’ record to a modest 11-14, though like virtually every team in baseball, Washington is still in the playoff race in this shortened season. Rizzo doesn’t “think it’s anywhere near too late to make adjustments, but we have to play better,” recalling how the 2019 Nationals rebounded after a 19-31 start to the season.
“I have seen flashes of brilliance and mediocrity,” Rizzo said about this year’s Nats. “We have got to be more consistent….You got to play clean baseball, championship caliber baseball. We went through this last year and cleaned it up rather quickly after a slow start. We have to do the same thing now.”
Rizzo is no stranger to memorable trade deadline swaps, perhaps most notably the acquisition of Daniel Hudson at the 2019 deadline given Hudson’s key role in Washington’s 2019 World Series title. While the Nats’ bullpen was a glaring flaw last season, however, this year’s team doesn’t necessarily have such an obvious weak point, apart from maybe a starting rotation that Rizzo is bullish towards.
With Stephen Strasburg done for the season, Austin Voth and Erick Fedde have both played larger roles in the starting five, plus prospect Wil Crowe also recently made his Major League debut. The veteran trio of Max Scherzer, Patrick Corbin, and Anibal Sanchez have also had their ups and downs, with Sanchez in particular struggling prior to a strong outing in today’s 9-3 victory over the Nationals.
“We get calls about our starting pitching all the time and we feel very, very fortunate that we have that type of depth of young arms that can contribute at the big league level,” Rizzo said. “Very excited about the prospects of these young kids coming up. You look at the Voths and the Feddes, the way they performed last year in a world championship season and helped us the ship afloat and pitch extremely well in a pennant race. You run guys out there like a Wil Crowe and Seth Romero, who have shown their stuff plays in the big leagues. That is very positive news for us moving forward.”
If a new starter perhaps isn’t likely, acquiring more relief help would certainly seem like more of a possibility, and Dougherty also believes “a low-cost veteran bat would help.” The likes of Adam Eaton and Eric Thames have struggled at the plate this year, and Starlin Castro will likely miss the rest of the regular season due to wrist surgery. On the plus side, Juan Soto and Trea Turner have been tearing the cover off the ball, rookie Luis Garcia has filled in nicely for Castro at second base, and Asdrubal Cabrera has hit well to pick up the slack at the corner infield spots from Thames and Carter Kieboom.
Stephen Strasburg Diagnosed With Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Aug. 22: To make room for Wil Crowe as the 29th man in today’s doubleheader, the Nationals moved Strasburg to the 60-day injured list, per Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post. It’s a big blow for the defending champs who will be without their World Series MVP for the rest of the 2020 season. Strasburg will undergo surgery next week, per MASN.com’s Mark Zuckerman (via Twitter).
Aug. 21: After meeting with a nerve specialist, the initial diagnosis of carpal tunnel has been confirmed, Martinez tells reporters (Twitter link via Dybas). Strasburg and the team are weighing their options, one of which is surgery.
Aug. 15: The Nationals will place Stephen Strasburg on the injured list, per MLB Insider Jon Heyman. Strasburg’s still dealing with nerve irritation, according to manager Dave Martinez (via Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post). The diagnosis appears to be carpal tunnel neuritis of the right hand, per Todd Dybas of NBCSW.
Strasburg’s early season injury issues continued Friday in a start against the Orioles. Strasburg departed in the first inning, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com was among those to report. The Nationals replaced him with righty Erick Fedde.
Strasburg made his 2020 debut last Sunday and yielded five earned runs on seven hits in 4 1/3 innings in a loss to the Orioles. The O’s Anthony Santander smacked a home run off Strasburg on Friday before he had to leave his rematch against the club. Before losing his command in the 4th, however, Strasburg looked like his old self, pulling the chain on changeups and placing his fastball around the edges of the zone.
This has no doubt been an alarming way to open the season for Strasburg, whom the Nationals re-signed to a seven-year, $245MM contract in free agency last winter. Strasburg earned that mega-deal on the heels of a brilliant season that he finished as the World Series MVP for the Nationals, who won their first-ever championship. Like Strasburg, though, Washington has begun the season in less-than-ideal fashion, as it entered Friday with a 6-10 record.
With Strasburg out, Fedde is likely to move back into the rotation. The 27-year-old right-hander has been in and out of the rotation for the better part of the past two seasons. He was in contention for a rotation spot at the start of the season, but that spot went to Austin Voth. The Nationals rotation has been in flux for the entirety of the season, starting with a hamstring issue that bothered Max Scherzer. Anibal Sanchez, another mainstay from last year’s team, has struggled out the gate.
Ryne Harper will return to the Nats to fill Strasburg’s roster spot, per Dybas. Harper’s been used quite a bit this season, but he’s been shelled of late. In total, the 31-year-old former Twin owns a 8.10 ERA/6.13 FIP, though a 10.8 K/9 gives at least a little hope that Harper can become a reliable source of outs for the NAts.
Starlin Castro Suffers Broken Wrist
AUG. 18: Manager Dave Martinez announced Castro will undergo surgery this Friday, Todd Dybas of NBCSW was among those to report. Castro’s optimistic he’ll return for the playoffs if the Nationals qualify.
AUG. 14: The Nationals announced that second baseman Starlin Castro has suffered a broken right wrist. He has been placed on the 10-day injured list.
That diagnosis comes after Castro departed the team’s contest earlier today. It explains why the Nats suddenly decided to promote top infield prospect Luis Garcia, a move that is now official.
Garcia will debut at twenty nears and ninety days of age. Castro was actually a shade younger when he first hit the majors back in 2010. He has had some ups and downs since but has generally been a solid overall performer.
Castro inked a two-year, $12MM deal over the offseason to join the defending World Series champs. He had been off to a productive start, slashing .283/.317/.467 over 63 plate appearances entering action today.
Precisely how long Castro will be sidelined isn’t yet known, but it’s likely beside the point. At this stage of the calendar, it’s hard to imagine he’ll be able to recover and ramp back up in time to return before the regular season wraps up.
Nationals To Promote Luis Garcia
The Nationals will promote infield prospect Luis Garcia, per Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com (via Twitter). He’s expected to join the team for its game this evening.
Garcia, who just turned 20 in May, will step right into the starting lineup. He had been on the club’s taxi squad but an immediate opening arose when Starling Castro suffered a wrist injury earlier today. Castro’s outlook remains to be seen.
The Nats have not hesitated to call upon their best young talent, with generally excellent results. Garcia will now have an opportunity to take a place in a still-developing new core of position players on the D.C. roster.
Though he’s still quite young, Garcia did play a full season at the Double-A level last year. He ran into some challenges there, ultimately slashing just .257/.280/.337 over 553 plate appearances, but was markedly better in the second half.
Talent evaluators see Garcia as a potential everyday player. For now, he’ll line up at second base alongside regular shortstop Trea Turner. It remains to be seen how lengthy an opportunity Garcia will receive. No doubt that’ll depend both upon the health status of Castro and Garcia’s ability to adapt to MLB pitching.
Nationals Promote Seth Romero, Place Sean Doolittle On IL
The Nationals have selected the contract of pitching prospect Seth Romero. Veteran reliever Sean Doolittle was moved to the 10-day injured list with right knee fatigue.
This isn’t quite how the Nats hoped things to shake out early, but the team’s supply of southpaw relievers has now been exhausted. The team placed Sam Freeman on the IL earlier today.
Details of Doolittle’s injury aren’t yet known. The placement surely also reflects his difficulties on the mound. He has made it through three total innings in five appearances, coughing up five earned runs while recording only two strikeouts. Doolittle’s velocity has fallen off a cliff, declining three full ticks on average versus 2019.
When the Nats picked Romero in the first round of the 2017 draft, there were whispers that the team might speed him through the system for a near-term relief role. It took some time, and required a few ups and downs but he’s now headed to the majors to work out of the pen.
Romero has averaged 13.1 K/9 in the minors, but that’s in a minimal sample of 47 1/3 innings. His 2019 campaign was wiped out entirely by Tommy John surgery, though that’s now nearly two years in the rearview mirror.
In the long run, the hope surely remains that Romero will turn into a rotation piece. For now, the Nationals need to address the immediate need and will give him a shot to carve out a place on the pitching staff.
