Robles likely to return Sunday after minor back injury

Robles likely to return Sunday after minor back injury
Victor Robles appears to be fine after departing Friday night's game with back tightness and should return to the Nationals lineup Sunday afternoon. Robles, who had to come out of the Nats' 10-9 exhibition win over the Astros in the fifth inning after coming up awkward on a throw from center field to the plate, told manager Davey Martinez today he "feels fine." The 23-year-old was already scheduled to have tonight off, so he'll now prepare to play Sunday against the Mets. "Hopefully,...
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Strasburg back to normal, but Scherzer has sprained ankle

Strasburg back to normal, but Scherzer has sprained ankle
The Nationals ace everyone's been waiting to hear about is fully healthy and throwing in the early days of spring training. The one nobody had been asking about, however, is currently being held back after suffering a minor injury before camp officially began. While Stephen Strasburg has fully recovered from last summer's right wrist surgery and is fully participating at workouts, Max Scherzer is not throwing for now after spraining his left ankle two weeks ago. According to manager Davey...
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Barrett, Bourque placed on IL; Hernández, Espino join roster

Barrett, Bourque placed on IL; Hernández, Espino join roster
Aaron Barrett's latest return to the Nationals bullpen came to an abrupt halt due to another injury. And James Bourque's first opportunity to pitch regularly in the big leagues has also been cut short due to injury. Barrett, who made national headlines last season when he pitched in the majors three years after breaking his arm while rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, was placed on the 10-day injured list today with a right triceps strain, one of a flurry of transactions announced by the...
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Rainey is latest Nats reliever to land on IL with flexor strain

Rainey is latest Nats reliever to land on IL with flexor strain
Tanner Rainey, one of the Nationals' brightest lights during a mostly dismal season, may not pitch again this season. Rainey, who already had been sidelined over the weekend with forearm soreness, was placed on the 10-day injured list today with a right flexor strain. Though manager Davey Martinez didn't completely rule out the possibility of the reliever returning, with only 13 days remaining in this short season there's hardly enough time (or motivation) to make it back. "Right now,...
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Doolittle's return halted by oblique injury

Doolittle's return halted by oblique injury
Sean Doolittle spent weeks trying to rediscover the form that made him one of the best relievers in baseball. And then just as he seemed to find it, the Nationals left-hander suffered an injury that could bring an abrupt end to his season. Doolittle injured his right oblique muscle throwing a pitch in the top of the ninth during Thursday's 7-6 loss to the Braves, manager Davey Martinez revealed after the game. Though the club didn't know the severity of it in the immediate aftermath,...
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Kendrick placed on IL with left hamstring strain

Kendrick placed on IL with left hamstring strain
The Nationals have placed Howie Kendrick on the 10-day injured with a left hamstring strain, a decision that seemed more and more likely in recent days as the veteran hitter struggled to get himself in the lineup. Kendrick did not play in either of the Nats' two wins over the Rays to begin the week after sitting out Sunday's series finale against the Braves. He missed a week in mid-August with what manager Davey Martinez described as "sore hamstrings," apparently debilitating enough that he...
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Romero breaks right hand, Braymer gets promoted

Romero breaks right hand, Braymer gets promoted
Seth Romero, the highly touted pitching prospect who made his major league debut for the Nationals two weeks ago and had become the club's only active left-handed reliever, broke his right hand in a fall late Saturday night and has been placed on the injured list. Romero, who faced four batters in the bottom of the fourth inning during the nightcap of Saturday's doubleheader against the Marlins, told manager Davey Martinez he slipped on a set of stairs later that night after he left Nationals...
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Surgery possible for Strasburg to fix carpal tunnel neuritis

Surgery possible for Strasburg to fix carpal tunnel neuritis
Stephen Strasburg's follow-up exam with a hand specialist confirmed the Nationals' initial diagnosis of carpal tunnel neuritis. The veteran right-hander and the club are still discussing a course of action to address the injury, but manager Davey Martinez acknowledged surgery is a possibility. "I'm going to talk to him, see what his options are and what he wants to do," Martinez said this afternoon during his pregame Zoom session with reporters. "But I think it's something that's going...
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Scherzer out after one labored inning with apparent injury

Scherzer out after one labored inning with apparent injury
Max Scherzer threw 112 pitches in his last start, most by any major leaguer so far in 2020. Tonight, the Nationals ace threw only 27 pitches before departing with what appears to be a physical ailment. Scherzer was pulled after one laborious inning against the Mets, unexpectedly replaced by Erick Fedde in the top of the second. The Nationals didn't immediately announce a reason for Scherzer's departure, but he could be seen talking to a trainer in the dugout after his one inning of work....
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Harris placed on 10-day IL with right groin strain

Harris placed on 10-day IL with right groin strain
The Nationals placed Will Harris on the 10-day injured list this morning with a right groin strain, an injury that cropped up in recent days and kept the veteran reliever from pitching in what seemed like an obvious situation for him during Thursday's win over the Blue Jays. The transaction is retroactive to July 29, making Harris eligible to return Aug. 8 at the earliest. Harris appeared in only two of the Nationals' first seven games this season, and looked shaky in each. He made his debut...
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Elías, Zimmerman close to wrapping up rehab stints

Elías, Zimmerman close to wrapping up rehab stints
Sean Doolittle's pending return to the Nationals bullpen is significant, no doubt. But the other left-hander on the verge of rejoining that unit could prove to be quite significant himself. Roenis Elías, who faced only two batters after his July 31 acquisition from the Mariners before straining his right hamstring running the bases, appears to be entering the final days of his rehab and could join Doolittle on the active roster by the end of the week. Elías threw off a mound today, the...
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Elías moving closer to return after bullpen session (Nats up 5-2)

Elías moving closer to return after bullpen session (Nats up 5-2)
CHICAGO - The left-hander the Nationals went out of their way to acquire at the trade deadline is getting closer to rejoining the active roster. Roenis Elías, who strained his hamstring in his team debut, threw off the bullpen mound at Wrigley Field this morning. If the session went well, he should be able to ramp up his rehab and potentially come off the injured list in short order. "We'll have to evaluate how he does today," manager Davey Martinez said, "and then we'll go from...
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Scherzer: "I think I'm ready to pitch in the big leagues"

Scherzer: "I think I'm ready to pitch in the big leagues"
Max Scherzer insists he's ready to pitch. Now. In the big leagues. As soon as the Nationals will let him. Which is the real issue, to be honest. Scherzer may believe he's ready to return from the injured list this weekend, but he may be at the mercy of the Nationals' medical and coaching staffs. "It'll come down to me and the medical staff, yeah," manager Davey Martinez said. "Like I said, we're going to be very conscious, and we'll see where we're at. The good news is that he feels...
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Updates on Soto, Scherzer, Elías and more (Nats up 6-2)

Updates on Soto, Scherzer, Elías and more (Nats up 6-2)
Juan Soto's not in the lineup but feeling much better about his right ankle than he did 24 hours earlier. Howie Kendrick's not in the lineup but back on the active roster and available to pinch-hit tonight. Max Scherzer is ready to face live hitters for the first time in three weeks. Ryan Zimmerman and Roenis Elías are making progress but still have major hurdles to cross before returning from the injured list. And Brian Dozier is sick. That's your daily Nationals injury update. And it's...
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Cabrera addition could help depleted bench (Nats up 3-0)

Cabrera addition could help depleted bench (Nats up 3-0)
SAN FRANCISCO - Though they aren't publicly confirming it yet, the Nationals are making plans to add Asdrúbal Cabrera to their roster Tuesday in what they hope will be a nice boost to a suddenly depleted bench. Cabrera, who was released by the Rangers over the weekend, agreed today to a contract with the Nationals for a prorated portion of the league minimum salary (less than $200,000), according to a source familiar with the deal. The 33-year-old infielder hit .235 with 12 homers, 51 RBIs...
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With Scherzer still out, Nationals need others to step up

With Scherzer still out, Nationals need others to step up
PHOENIX - The Nationals played 17 series over a two-month stretch from late May until late July. They lost only one of those series, dropping two of three to the Braves in June on South Capitol Street. Now all of a sudden, they've lost three series in a row, dropping two of three apiece to the Dodgers, Braves and Diamondbacks in their worst stretch of games since this whole in-season turnaround began. Suffice it to say the Nationals really need to get themselves back on track. And who better...
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Sipp dropped from roster, Scherzer begins throwing (Nats up 2-0)

Sipp dropped from roster, Scherzer begins throwing (Nats up 2-0)
PHOENIX - Needing to clear one more roster spot for the trio of relievers they acquired before Wednesday's trade deadline, the Nationals designated Tony Sipp for assignment today, cutting ties with the veteran reliever who never was able to consistently perform after signing with the club late in spring training. Sipp had a 4.71 ERA in 36 appearances, and though he had done a better job in recent weeks retiring left-handed batters, he may have sealed his fate when he put back-to-back lefties...
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Bruised foot still sore, Adams out of lineup again

Bruised foot still sore, Adams out of lineup again
If he could play, Matt Adams surely would have been in the Nationals' lineup tonight, with Davey Martinez wanting the lefty slugger batting fifth against Braves right-hander Julio Teheran. The drop-off to Howie Kendrick (who happens to be 6-for-18 with three doubles in his career vs. Teheran) isn't all that steep. But under normal circumstances, Adams would be the choice tonight. "Oh, yeah," Martinez said. "Howie has pretty good numbers against this guy, but you still want Matt in...
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Scherzer's chances of facing Braves dwindling (Nats win 11-4)

Scherzer's chances of facing Braves dwindling (Nats win 11-4)
Max Scherzer's chances of missing another start against the Braves appear to be growing, leaving the Nationals again facing the prospect of a critical series with the National League East leaders without the services of their ace. Scherzer, still dealing with a lingering upper back injury that has limited him to one start in the last three weeks, has not yet thrown a ball since receiving a stem cell injection Friday for what he described as a "mild strain" of the rhomboid muscle on top of...
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Scherzer aiming to return Thursday, Voth heads to IL

Scherzer aiming to return Thursday, Voth heads to IL
ATLANTA - The Nationals are preparing for Max Scherzer to return to the rotation Thursday afternoon and start their series finale against the Rockies. Scherzer, who hasn't pitched since July 6 due to an inflamed bursa sac underneath his right shoulder blade, continues to feel better from a cortisone shot he received earlier in the week. Manager Davey Martinez said the right-hander is scheduled to throw a full bullpen session Monday afternoon at Nationals Park. "We'll see how that goes,"...
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