Nationals Place Will Harris, Victor Robles On 10-Day Injured List
11:37AM: In a change of course, the Nationals have now placed Robles on the 10-day IL (retroactive to May 20) due to the right ankle sprain. No corresponding move has been announced with less than a half-hour before the Nats take the field against the Orioles, so the Nats will only have 25 active players today.
11:33AM: The Nationals placed right-hander Will Harris on the 10-day injured list today, as Harris is again bothered by right hand inflammation. The same injury sent Harris to the IL earlier this season and kept him from making his season debut until May 4. Righty Kyle McGowin has been called up from Triple-A to take Harris’ spot on the active roster.
Harris had a blood clot removed from his right arm back in March, and there was some thought that he might require thoracic outlet syndrome surgery, though that much more extensive procedure wasn’t necessary. That said, Harris was still dealing with inflammation almost a month after the blood clot’s removal, and it seems as though it has been a persistent problem for the veteran reliever that finally required another IL visit.
Needless to say, Harris’ pitching has been impacted by his injury, as he has a 9.00 ERA over six innings this season. Yesterday’s rough outing against the Orioles might have been the proverbial last straw, as Harris faced three Baltimore hitters and allowed two runs without recording an out in an eventual 12-9 Washington victory.
In other injury news for the District team, Victor Robles isn’t in today’s starting lineup, as the outfielder continues to nurse a sprained right ankle. Robles hasn’t played since suffering the injury on Wednesday, and X-rays on Robles’ ankle were negative and an MRI revealed the sprain.
Manager Davey Martinez told MASNsports.com’s Mark Zuckerman and other reporters that Robles did some hitting off a tee yesterday. Since the Nationals don’t have a game on Monday, Martinez said the hope is that two more days off will allow Robles to be ready by Tuesday, so a trip to the injured list can be avoided. Andrew Stevenson has been filling in as the Nats’ center fielder while Robles is sidelined, and Yadiel Hernandez is also on hand for further outfield depth.
Robles’ injury is particularly poorly timed, as he had a 1.206 OPS over his last 20 plate appearances and was showing signs of emerging from his season-long slump. Even with that hot streak, Robles was hitting only .246/.348/.325 over 133 PA, but was still helping the Nationals with his customary strong defense up the middle.
Nationals Activate Stephen Strasburg From Injured List
TODAY: Strasburg has officially been reinstated from the 10-day IL, the Nationals announced. Right-hander Kyle McGowin was optioned to Triple-A to make roster space.
MAY 20: The Nationals are planning to reinstate Stephen Strasburg from the injured list to start tomorrow’s game against the Orioles, manager Dave Martinez told reporters (including Maria Torres of the Athletic). It’ll be Strasburg’s first appearance in just over a month, as he went on the IL April 18 with right shoulder inflammation.
Washington is surely thrilled to get Strasburg back to action. The star righty helped lead the Nats to a World Series title in 2019, and the organization retained him on a seven-year, $245MM contract that offseason. Unfortunately, Strasburg has thus far only managed four starts since then. A bout with carpal tunnel syndrome limited him to five innings last season, and this spring’s shoulder problem has kept him to ten frames in 2021.
The Nationals have struggled over the season’s first month-plus. Set back by an early COVID-19 outbreak, Washington climbed back to briefly take first place in the NL East. They’ve scuffled over the past few weeks, though, dropping to the bottom of the division at 17-23. The Nationals rotation has been a little below-average this season, sitting 18th in each of ERA (4.41), SIERA (4.19) and strikeout minus walk rate (14.7 percentage points). That’s a disappointment for a starting staff that was expected to be the backbone of the club.
With Strasburg out, the Nationals added Erick Fedde to the rotation. Fedde has pitched reasonably well, working to a 4.35 ERA/4.58 SIERA in eight starts. Strasburg’s return might eventually bump him to the bullpen, but Fedde will be out of action for the next few days after testing positive for COVID-19.
Max Scherzer Wants “Update” To League COVID-19 Protocols
Nationals right-handers Erick Fedde and Tanner Rainey were placed on the team’s COVID-related injured list Wednesday after Fedde tested positive for the coronavirus and Rainey was quarantined as a close-contact possibility to Fedde. Since Fedde is asymptomatic and had already received a vaccine, teammate Max Scherzer told reporters (including Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post) that he feels Fedde’s trip to the IL was unnecessary.
“We got to update the rules here,” Scherzer said. “We got to start following the science, listening to what the CDC says, whether this is union or MLB, the people above us. We got to update the protocols here. Vaccinated players are testing positive, they are asymptomatic and should be allowed to play. Plain and simple.”
Beyond just being one of the sport’s biggest names, Scherzer’s opinion carries some extra weight considering that he is both the Nationals’ MLBPA rep and a member of the union’s executive board. The right-hander indicated that he had “reached out to a couple other players across the league” and “we’re all on the same page” that the league’s COVID-19 rules were in need of adjustment.
“Other guys in our clubhouse are thinking the same way, so that’s probably the way we’re thinking across the league. Probably a good amount of players want that to have that be the case,” Scherzer said. “There’s a benefit to taking the vaccine. We got to believe in the science, in that if you’re asymptomatic and you’re vaccinated, then you can play baseball….The vaccinated players should reap the benefits for doing this. This is what we want. We want our players to be vaccinated.”
As Dougherty notes, there is a bit of “gray area” within the guidelines released by The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, quite possibly due to the ever-evolving nature of research into COVID-19 and how vaccines can guard against the virus. According to one CDC guideline, a fully-vaccinated person (like Fedde) “should not visit private or public settings if they have tested positive for COVID-19 in the prior 10 days or are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms.”
However, CDC guidelines also state that a fully-vaccinated person without symptoms (again, like Fedde) can “refrain” from testing or a quarantine “following a known exposure.” As well, the CDC’s website wrote in April that “A growing body of evidence suggests that fully vaccinated people are less likely to have asymptomatic infection and potentially less likely to transmit SARS-CoV-2 to others. However, further investigation is ongoing.”
Major League Baseball has understandably tended to err on the side of caution when it comes to COVID protocols. Even with these rules in place, there have still been multiple COVID cases among individuals within baseball, as well as wider outbreaks among teams — last season’s outbreaks involving the Marlins and Cardinals being the most prominent examples of the latter. Even this season, the Nationals themselves had their first four games postponed due to an outbreak that sent nine players to the COVID-related list, either as close contacts or actual positive cases. The Nats also aren’t one of the 12 teams who have reached the threshold (85 percent vaccination rate) for some health and safety protocols to be relaxed.
It is quite possible that the league will indeed talk with the MLBPA about changing COVID protocols should that list of teams increase from 12 to at least a majority of the league, or until more is known about whether or not vaccinated individuals with COVID-19 indeed pose a lower risk of infection rate. There are league mechanisms in place for some wiggle room within the protocols, however, as Dougherty writes that “MLB and the MLBPA’s joint committee can clear a vaccinated, asymptomatic individual who has received back-to-back negative test results.”
Nationals Place Erick Fedde, Tanner Rainey On Injured List
MAY 20: Fedde tested positive for COVID-19, Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post was among those to report. He had previously been vaccinated and is asymptomatic. Rainey, who has not been vaccinated, is isolating as a close contact.
MAY 19: The Nationals announced they’ve placed right-handers Erick Fedde and Tanner Rainey on the injured list. One of the two players has tested positive for COVID-19, while the other was deemed a close contact, tweets Maria Torres of the Athletic. To replace Fedde and Rainey on the active roster, Washington recalled righties Paolo Espino and Kyle McGowin from Triple-A Rochester.
Fedde has been a reliable member of the Nats rotation over the season’s first month-plus. He’s made eight starts and tossed 39 1/3 innings with a 4.35 ERA/4.58 SIERA. With Stephen Strasburg on a rehab assignment and nearing a return from the injured list, manager Dave Martinez recently suggested Fedde was a candidate for a short-term move to the bullpen (via Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post). For the time being, though, he’ll be out of action.
The Nationals will also be without one of their more frequently utilized relievers. The hard-throwing Rainey looked to have cemented himself as a key setup piece in Martinez’s bullpen last season, tossing 20 1/3 innings of 2.66 ERA ball with an elite 42.7% strikeout rate. It’s been a disastrous start in 2021 for Rainey, however. He missed time in Spring Training because of a muscle strain near his collarbone. That didn’t require a regular season IL stint, although it’s possible the delay affected his performance. Rainey has lost a tick on his average fastball and struggled over his first 16 appearances. The 28-year-old has seen his once-lofty strikeout rate plummet to 24.6%, while his walk percentage has spiked to an untenable 19.7%. Given those poor peripherals, it’s unsurprising Rainey has allowed eleven runs (ten earned) over his first 12 1/3 frames.
Espino, 34, has made eight appearances (including a spot start when Strasburg first went on the IL). He’s managed a 2.57 ERA/4.78 SIERA in 14 innings. McGowin has scuffled, allowing four runs in 7 1/3 frames with five walks and four strikeouts.
Pitching Notes: Blue Jays, Allgeyer, Nats, Strasburg, Astros, Valdez, Odorizzi
The Blue Jays have optioned Nick Allgeyer to Triple-A, per Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca (via Twitter). Allgeyer did not make an appearance and has yet to make his Major League debut. The Jays won’t make a corresponding move until tomorrow. There’s no need to fill his roster spot today given their day off. Since service time is measured in days and not games, there’s no reason to make a move any earlier than necessary. In other pitcher news…
- The Nationals may be close to activating Stephen Strasburg, depending on how his shoulder feels today, per Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com (via Twitter). Nationals’ starters rank an uncharacteristic 25th in the Majors by fWAR, 16th with a 4.29 ERA and next-to-last with a 4.83 FIP. Strasburg has contributed just two starts totaling 10 innings on the year.
- Framber Valdez and Jake Odorizzi will start on back-to-back days for the Sugar Land Skeeters this week, per Sports Director at Fox 26 Mark Berman (via Twitter). That’s especially good news considering that Jose Urquidy just landed on the injured list. Because of their schedule, however, Houston could largely get by with only four starters until June, writes the Athletic’s Jake Kaplan. If everyone can get healthy, the Astros will have a surplus of starters, which could lead to Cristian Javier or Luis Garcia being bumped to the bullpen or back to Triple-A, despite their solid efforts thus far.
East Notes: Means, Mets, Yankees, Strasburg
The Mets made an attempt to acquire left-hander John Means from the Orioles during the offseason, but Baltimore rebuffed New York, per Jon Heyman of MLB Network. The Mets surely weren’t alone in trying to acquire Means, who’s making a minimal salary this year and still has three years of arbitration control remaining. Means proved himself as a capable mid- to back-of-the-rotation starter from 2019-20, but he has taken his game to an entirely different level this season. The 28-year-old has pitched to a microscopic 1.21 ERA with impressive strikeout and walk percentages of 28.0 and 5.3, respectively, over 52 innings. This has been a May to remember for Means, who no-hit the Mariners on the 5th and then tossed six scoreless innings against the team that wanted him, the Mets, this past Tuesday.
Here’s more on the Mets and a couple other East Coast clubs:
- The Yankees announced Friday that designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton is dealing with tightness in his left quad. The issue sidelined Stanton on Friday, and he’s now “day to day, hopefully nothing more than that,” manager Aaron Boone told Bryan Hoch of MLB.com and other reporters. Stanton endured a pair of injury-ruined seasons from 2019-20, in which he played in 41 of a possible 222 games, but has mostly stayed healthy this year. The 31-year-old slugger has been in excellent form with a .282/.347/.534 line and nine home runs in 144 plate appearances.
- Sticking with the Yankees, right-hander Luis Severino is at the “start of spring training mode” as he works his way back from February 2020 Tommy John surgery, Boone said Friday (via Marly Rivera of ESPN). Severino threw 23 pitches of live batting practice Friday and averaged between 96 and 97 mph. The 27-year-old was one of the game’s elite starters from 2017-18, leading the Yankees to sign him to a four-year, $40MM extension, though he totaled only 12 innings in 2019 as a result of shoulder problems and hasn’t pitched since. To its credit, New York’s rotation has done well this year without Severino; nevertheless, the team will surely be glad to welcome him back if he’s healthy.
- Nationals righty Stephen Strasburg will make a Triple-A rehab start on Sunday, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com tweets. Manager Dave Martinez said the hope is that Strasburg will go five innings and throw 75 to 80 pitches. Washington has barely gotten anything in 2021 from Strasburg, who’s in the second season of a seven-year, $245MM contract, as a result of shoulder inflammation. This is the second straight injury-limited year for the former World Series MVP, who has totaled just 15 innings since 2020.
- Mets third baseman J.D. Davis and reliever Seth Lugo will soon begin rehab assignments at the Triple-A level, Bill Ladson of MLB.com writes. While the Mets hoped Davis would exit the 10-day injured list Saturday, he’s still not ready to come back since suffering a left hand sprain on May 1. The club has gone all season without Lugo, who underwent surgery to remove a bone spur in his right elbow in February. Lugo started in seven of 16 appearances last season, but he’ll return to a relief role when he rejoins the Mets, per manager Luis Rojas.
Jordan Zimmermann Retires
After spending parts of 13 seasons in the Major Leagues, veteran right-hander Jordan Zimmermann has announced his retirement, via a statement released by the Brewers. The two-time All-Star and Wisconsin native made it back to the big leagues this year for a brief run with his home state’s team, but he’ll now call it a career after 1614 innings and 279 appearances in the Majors.
“I have had the joy of playing the game that I love for the past 15 years,” Zimmermann said. “I will forever be thankful to the Washington Nationals and Detroit Tigers for allowing me to live out this dream. It has been particularly special to be able to end it all playing for my hometown team, the Milwaukee Brewers. Thank you to all of my friends, teammates and family members who have been by my side throughout this incredible journey. I will miss the game greatly, but I’m ready for the new phase of my life.”
A second-round pick out of Division-III University of Wisconsin Steven’s Point back in 2007, Zimmermann was in the big leagues not even two years later. He cracked the Nationals’ rotation early that year despite limited minor league experience and held his own through 16 starts, pitching to a 4.63 ERA in 91 1/3 frames. Unfortunately, Zimmermann’s elbow began barking early that summer, and by August he’d undergone Tommy John surgery that wiped out his next year. He returned late in 2010 and tossed 31 innings.
It was the 2011 season, however, where Zimmermann truly cemented his place in the Nationals’ plans. He broke out with 161 2/3 innings of 3.18 ERA ball and was a fixture in the club’s rotation for the next half decade. Zimmermann made the All-Star team in both 2013 and 2014 and finished among the top seven in Cy Young voting during both seasons. In his final five seasons with the Nats, Zimmermann was a durable workhorse who averaged 194 innings per year while pitching to a combined 3.14 ERA and 3.30 FIP with some of the best command of any pitcher in the game.
Zimmermann’s highlight with the Nationals was undoubtedly a 2014 no-hitter in his final appearance of the season — a 10-strikeout, one-walk masterpiece that will go down as one of the best performances in franchise history. He nearly went the distance in his next start, too: a National League Division Series showdown with the eventual World Champion Giants. Zimmermann had thrown 8 2/3 shutout innings before walking Joe Panik — at which point then-manager Matt Williams hooked him for Drew Storen. Storen famously served up back-to-back hits, blowing the Nationals’ 1-0 lead in a game that would turn into an 18-inning marathon which the Giants won.
That excellent showing unsurprisingly made him one of the market’s top free-agent starting pitchers as he headed into his age-30 season. The five-year, $110MM contract he eventually signed with the Tigers actually came in a bit lighter than some prognosticators expected — including our prediction here at MLBTR (six years, $126MM). For a pitcher with Zimmermann’s durability and consistency, it seemed like an eminently reasonable contract that would help stabilize the Tigers’ rotation for the foreseeable future.
As we all know, that isn’t how things panned out. Zimmermann was slowed by a neck injury in his first season with Detroit and struggled to a 4.87 ERA in 19 appearances. Zimmermann made 29 starts the following year but was clobbered for a 6.08 ERA, and the 4.52 mark he managed through 25 starts in 2018 wound up being the best of any of his five years in Detroit.
It was a constant struggle to stay healthy in Detroit for Zimmermann, who spent time on the injured list not only due to the previously mentioned neck strain but also with a lat strain, a shoulder impingement, a UCL sprain, cervical spasms in his back, and a forearm strain. That mountain of injuries clearly took its toll on the former All in all, Zimmermann spent a half decade with the Tigers and mustered just a 5.63 ERA in 514 frames.
This offseason, Zimmermann inked a minor league deal with his hometown club. He headed to the Brewers’ alternate training site when he didn’t win a roster spot in Spring Training, and the righty rather candidly acknowledged that he was in the process of retiring when the Brewers called him to the big leagues. Zimmermann jokingly told reporters earlier this month that he was retired “for about two hours” before getting the call. He tossed 5 2/3 innings in a Brewers jersey to put a bow on what was overall a very fine career, even if injuries derailed the second half of his Major League tenure.
Few Division-III hurlers even get noticed by big league scouts — let alone second-round draft status and an accelerated, 18-month skyrocket journey through the minors and up to the big leagues. Zimmermann did just that, however, and as the dust now settles, he heads into retirement with a career 4.07 ERA through 1614 Major League innings. The righty posted a 95-91 record, struck out 1271 hitters in the Majors and tallied more than $143MM in earnings over the course of a career valued at 20.3 wins above replacement at Baseball-Reference and 25.5 WAR at FanGraphs.
NL Notes: Rockies, Cubs, Marlins, Nationals
The Rockies announced a pair of corresponding roster moves today. They selected the contract of Connor Joe from Triple-A, while right-handed pitcher Jose Mujica was optioned to Triple-A. It’s good to see Joe back in the Majors. The 28-year-old opted out of 2020 after being diagnosed with testicular cancer, writes MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand. The Rockies like Joe as a possibility at first base or left off the bench. Joe was a first round draft pick of the Pirates back in 2014. Mujica will be a long-term rotation possibility for the Rockies, though he came out of the bullpen for both of his appearances this season. Elsewhere in the NL…
- Cubs southpaw Brailyn Marquez has been about six weeks behind in his conditioning after testing positive for COVID-19. The Cubs’ top pitching prospect doesn’t have an official assignment yet, but it’s believed that he’ll soon head to Double-A, per Bruce Levine of 670thescore.com (via Twitter). Marquez doesn’t turn 22 years old until September.
- Both Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Jorge Alfaro hope to begin their rehab assignments next week and return from the injured list by next weekend, per Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald (via Twitter). Marlins fans eagerly await Chisholm’s return after the infielder posted a 154 wRC+ in 80 plate appearances this season.
- Wander Suero will begin his own rehab assignment with Triple-A Rochester, per Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com. The Nationals‘ reliever has been out since April 18th with an oblique strain. Stephen Strasburg, meanwhile, will soon pitch his second simulated game since landing on the injured list. Presumably, that means the Nats are still in an evaluation stage, and it might take some time yet before Strasburg can return to the diamond.
Hernan Perez Elects Free Agency
Veteran infielder/outfielder Hernan Perez went unclaimed on waivers following his recent DFA, the Nationals announced Thursday. Perez rejected an outright assignment to Triple-A and has instead elected free agency. He’s now eligible to sign with any club.
The 30-year-old Perez went just 1-for-19 with a pair of walks in his brief time with the Nationals organization this year and was 1-for-6 in a brief look with the Cubs in 2020. However, he was a frequently used and utilityman with the Brewers from 2016-19, batting a combined .257/.289/.406 with 44 long balls and 63 steals through 482 games (1468 plate appearances).
Perez’s best season came with the ’16 Brewers, when he slugged 13 homers and stole 34 bases. He followed that up with a career-high 14 home runs and 13 steals the following year, but Perez’s average and OBP tumbled in subsequent seasons.
In parts of 10 Major League seasons, Perez is a .250/.280/.382 hitter who has experience at all four infield positions and all three outfield positions. He’s even tallied 9 1/3 innings of mop-up work on the mound, pitching relatively respectably for a position player: six runs on 11 hits and four walks with five strikeouts (5.79 ERA).
Nationals Activate Juan Soto, Will Harris; Designate Hernan Perez
The Nationals have activated outfielder Juan Soto and right-handed reliever Will Harris from the injured list, per Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com. In corresponding moves, the Nationals designated infielder/outfielder Hernan Perez for assignment and optioned righty Kyle McGowin to Triple-A.
The Nationals held an ugly 5-9 record when Soto went on the IL on April 20 with a strained left shoulder. To their credit, though, the Nats did more than stay afloat during their superstar hitter’s absence. After going 7-3 while Soto was on the shelf, Washington sits at 12-12 – good for a half-game lead in the National League East. They’ll have to continue playing without Soto at full strength for a little while longer, as manager Dave Martinez said the 22-year-old still isn’t ready to throw in games (via Zuckerman). For now, he’ll serve as a pinch-hitter. That should continue leaving right field to Yadiel Hernandez, who has come up large with a .362/.444/.500 line in 36 plate appearances.
Harris, 36, has yet to debut this year as a result of right hand inflammation. There was a fear Harris would require thoracic outlet surgery, but he avoided that procedure and will now rejoin the Nationals’ bullpen a month into the season. The club signed Harris to a three-year, $24MM contract entering last season after a strong run with the Astros. Harris did throw 17 2/3 innings of 3.06 ERA ball with a 25 percent strikeout rate in 2020, though his fielding-independent numbers (4.09 xFIP, 4.13 SIERA, 4.55 FIP) were less impressive. He also experienced an increase in walks and home runs allowed, while his groundball percentage tumbled by over 12 percent from the previous season.
The 30-year-old Perez signed a minor league contract with the Nationals over the winter and then made their Opening Day roster. Perez couldn’t take advantage of the opportunity, though, as he collected one hit (a single) in 21 plate appearances and struck out 10 times, leading the Nats to boot him from their 40-man roster.