-1745819772711.png){kind=logo}
Through good times and bad times, MacKenzie Gore has shown an ability to keep himself healthy and on the mound for the better part of three seasons now. But when the left-hander’s arm didn’t feel right in the wake of his last start, he conceded it was finally time to take a break. One he believes will be brief.
The Nationals placed Gore on the 15-day injured list today with left shoulder inflammation, an unexpected announcement but one that might in some way explain the 26-year-old’s struggles since the All-Star break.
Gore said his shoulder didn’t recover the way it normally does after Tuesday’s start at Yankee Stadium, which prompted the club to schedule an MRI.
“You always feel discomfort, especially going into September. It’s just recovering, it wasn’t right,” he said. “So we needed to get it checked out. We made a good decision; we got on it early. I should be alright.”
Gore said “nothing crazy showed up, like a significant injury” on the MRI. The Nationals are simply referring to it as inflammation in his shoulder. Though admitting the IL stint is necessary, the lefty expressed confidence it won’t be a long stint and insisted this won’t end his season.
“I don’t plan on it,” he said. “Obviously, we’ve got to make sure we feel good and I’m ready to go, but I don’t plan on it. As soon as I can come back, that’s what I plan on.”
Interim manager Miguel Cairo was noncommittal on a timetable for Gore’s return, but he described the injury as “a little inflammation” and didn’t suggest any serious concern.
“We hope that he’ll be back,” Cairo said. “It’s just something that we’re going to be careful with.”
Gore enjoyed a breakthrough first half to the season and earned the first All-Star selection of his career after delivering a 3.02 ERA and league-leading 138 strikeouts over his first 110 1/3 innings. Things have taken a downturn since then, with Gore producing a 7.54 ERA and only 35 strikeouts over his last 37 innings.
Though he was on the IL with an elbow injury when the Nationals acquired him from the Padres in August 2022 as part of the Juan Soto blockbuster trade, Gore has impressively stayed healthy since debuting for his new team, missing only a few starts in September 2023 due to a blister on his finger. He made all 32 starts last season and made his first 27 starts this season before this ailment cropped up.
“I had to be honest with myself,” he said. “I wasn’t where I needed to be physically. Sometimes when you pitch through things, you can really hurt yourself. So I just wanted to make sure nothing crazy was going on. And we should be OK once we clean these few things up.”
The Nationals recalled right-hander Mason Thompson from Triple-A Rochester to take Gore’s roster spot, but he’ll be joining the bullpen. Cairo said the team will announce Sunday who will be called up from the minors to start Monday’s game against the Marlins in Gore’s place.
Left-hander Andrew Alvarez appears the likeliest candidate currently at Rochester, the 26-year-old having gone 3-0 with a 2.37 ERA and 39 strikeouts over his last 30 1/3 innings. A 12th-round pick in 2021, Alvarez is currently scheduled to start Sunday for the Red Wings at Jacksonville but could be pushed back one day to make his major league debut at Nationals Park instead.
