The Nationals made an expected roster move in the bullpen this morning, returning left-hander Robert Garcia from his rehab assignment and reinstating him from the injured list after a bout with influenza.
Garcia, 27, returns after missing 14 games. In one rehab appearance with Single-A Fredericksburg over the weekend, he struck out four without allowing a baserunner in two innings. Before landing on the IL, Garcia was tied for ninth among National League relievers with 13 strikeouts, achieving that mark in just 8 ⅓ innings. He also stranded all five runners he inherited this season.
He has been the only left-handed reliever manager Davey Martinez has used this season, having allowed just three extra base hits to lefty hitters in 68 career plate appearances.
The surprising part of the move was the decision to designate Matt Barnes for assignment to clear a spot on both the active and 40-man rosters.
“We needed to get Robert back. It was tough, but we definitely need a lefty,” Martinez said ahead of the Beltway Series opener against the Orioles. “I'd like to have more than one, but one right now will be good enough. But it was a tough call. Matty was such a professional. He's done it for a long time now. His velo just wasn't coming back like we thought it would. So we had to make a tough decision. I wished him all the best. We'll see where he ends up.”