Josh Bell will sit for the third straight game while dealing with a groin issue that kept him out of the lineup for the final two matchups in Cincinnati.

The Nationals designated hitter tweaked his right groin muscle running out a ground ball in the seventh inning of Friday night’s loss to the Reds. Manager Davey Martinez kept the 32-year-old out of the lineup for the final two games against the Reds as a precaution, especially due to the bad weather all weekend at Great American Ball Park.

But although Bell is feeling better, Martinez continues to practice caution, sitting him again for the opener against the Guardians, his former team.

“He's doing better. I'm being very cautious,” the skipper said during his pregame media session. “We have played in some bad weather. He's a big guy, so I want to make sure that he's OK. But he's definitely doing better. Yesterday he said he was a lot less sore than he was the day before, so that's good.”

Bell has struggled to start the season, hitting .139 with a .528 OPS in 30 games. Although, he is third on the team with five home runs and 14 RBIs. With him sidelined, Alex Call (and his .875 OPS) has the chance to play more, and is manning left field tonight while James Wood serves as the designated hitter.

Tonight’s forecast around the District is also calling for more rain after a big storm earlier this afternoon. The wet conditions at Nationals Park were an added reason to give Bell another day off.

“Talking to him yesterday, I keep wanting to give him another day,” Martinez said. “But because it's wet, it doesn't bother me that he's sitting.”

* Derek Law threw again today for just the second time while on the 15-day injured list with forearm inflammation. The Nationals will slowly ramp up the right-hander’s rehab as he essentially starts spring training over again. Law will toss from progressively further distances before being cleared to throw off a mound.

“He said he felt good. So that's progress, so that's awesome,” Martinez said.

“He's gotta keep building up. He's at 60 feet. We'll get him to probably 75 feet, 90 feet and 120 feet. If all that goes well, then he'll throw a bullpen.”

* The Nationals are still determining next steps for Cade Cavalli, who threw a bullpen session in lieu of making his next start. Cavalli was pulled from his previous outing after only two innings due to fatigue while he continues to return from March 2023 Tommy John surgery.

“He's going to throw another bullpen and then we'll reassess what happens next,” Martinez said.

“He felt fine.”

* Andrés Chaparro, sidelined since spring training with an oblique strain, has not really improved physically as he still feels the injury when he swings.

“It's still bothering him,” Martinez said. “So it's been a slow process, but he's just trying to build up strength. Swinging a little bit, but every time he tries to take a full swing, he said it bothers him a little bit.”

* Batting practice pitcher James Frisbie has rejoined the Nationals after he collapsed near the mound at Citizens Bank Park before throwing a BP pitch to Keibert Ruiz on Wednesday afternoon. He was then strapped to a backboard, driven off the field and taken to a local hospital.

Players and team officials greeted the 52-year-old with hugs as he smiled and appeared happy to be back. And it was an easy day for him to ease back in as the Nats did not take batting practice on the field due to the earlier rain.

* Tonight's game has been postponed due to inclement weather. It will be made up as the first game of a traditional doubleheader Tuesday starting at 3:35 p.m. The second game will start approximately 30 minutes after the first game ends.

Visit nats.com/rain for more information.