One of the best defensive plays Andrew Chafin has made in some time wound up sending the veteran reliever to the injured list.

The Nationals placed Chafin on the 15-day IL this morning with a right hamstring strain, an injury he sustained six days ago while doing the splits to make a play in the field. Ryan Loutos, a right-hander acquired only four days ago from the Dodgers, was recalled from Triple-A Rochester to take Chafin’s place in the bullpen.

Chafin didn’t initially show any ill effects when he sprinted to cover first on Corey Seager’s grounder to the right side in the top of the ninth Sunday against the Rangers, then stretched to the point he was doing the splits to snag CJ Abrams’ return throw on the 3-6-1 double play. But the left-hander did not pitch in any of the Nats’ last four games and was unavailable during Friday night’s 11-9 loss to the Marlins.

Chafin was going through a jogging drill in the outfield prior to today’s game, so the injury is not severe enough to prevent him from moderate physical activity right now.

The Nationals summoned Loutos from Rochester late Friday afternoon, then placed Chafin on the IL this morning. They were allowed to backdate the transaction only three days, to June 11, which was still three days after he suffered the injury. The soonest he could return would be June 26, but the team will be cautious with his recovery, not wanting to risk rushing him back and potentially making it worse.

Loutos made the drive from Rochester to D.C. with his fiancée Friday night and stood at his new locker inside Nationals Park this morning, still trying to comprehend the whirlwind he’s been on this season.

A member of the Cardinals organization for more than four years after graduating from Division III Washington University in St. Louis in 2021, Loutos (pronounced “LOO-tus”) made his major league debut June 1, 2024, and wound up making three appearances for the Cardinals in three brief summer stints. He opened this season pitching for St. Louis’ Triple-A affiliate in Memphis but was designated for assignment April 28, then traded to the Dodgers.

Loutos was twice called up by Los Angeles, pitching in one game during each stint, allowing a total of five runs over three innings. Following his most recent appearance, June 4, he was DFA’d again and then claimed off waivers by the Nationals on Tuesday.

Loutos reported to Rochester and made one appearance for the Red Wings, giving up one run on two hits in one inning of relief Thursday. And now he finds himself back in the majors, pitching for his third organization this season.

“It was crazy telling my parents that I was coming up here, the up and down, the roller coaster of it all,” he said. “But being a 40-man relief pitcher, you kind of know what you’re going to get into. You just don’t know how it’s all going to pan out. But I’ve overall enjoyed the ups and downs. You start to not have as big a reaction to each up and down that you get. You learn to be neutral and learn to just focus on the positives of every situation.”