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PHOENIX – Jacob Young, technically speaking, is eligible to come off the 10-day injured list today. The Nationals outfielder, of course, hasn’t been activated yet. And he won’t be activated for this weekend’s series against the Diamondbacks.
But Young appears to have cleared all hurdles in his recovery from a sprained AC joint in his left shoulder and tonight was scheduled to participate fully in all pregame drills, offering optimism he’ll be back on the active roster in short order.
“It’s going well,” he said. “I hit the last three days in a row, feeling much better. I can take a full swing again. I can do my normal work in the cage again. So I can get back to what I was doing before (the injury).”
Young, who hurt himself May 17 when he slammed into the wall at Camden Yards trying to make a leaping catch, hoped to avoid the IL stint altogether but couldn’t finish the follow-through on his swings without experiencing shoulder pain. The Nats finally conceded and placed him on the IL on May 23, backdating the transaction the maximum three days permitted.
Young has traveled with the team on this West Coast trip, participating in pregame drills but confined to the dugout during games, no easy task for the high-energy player.
“It is antsy,” he said with a laugh. “I don’t like standing still very much. It’s not the most fun thing to be doing. But it’s been fun to watch (rookie outfielders Robert Hassell III and Daylen Lile) be able to make some memories and have a bunch of these first-time things and succeed. It’s fun to watch, and we’ve been playing good baseball. It’s easier when you’re winning.”
Young will continue to work out pregame and root on his teammates during the games through the weekend. Barring any setbacks, manager Davey Martinez said he’ll likely go on a short rehab assignment with one of the team’s minor league affiliates early next week, the final step before he’s activated off the IL.
* Kyle Finnegan appears to have emerged from his first relief appearance in a week feeling strong, but the Nationals will continue to watch their closer closely after he was sidelined with shoulder fatigue.
Finnegan had not pitched in a week, the first several days a byproduct of his shoulder issue, then the next two a byproduct of lopsided games in Seattle. By the time Thursday’s series finale arrived, the team decided he was going to pitch regardless, and he was primed to take the bottom of the 10th in a save situation until the Nats exploded for seven runs and turned a close game into a rout.
Finnegan still went ahead and pitched in the lower-leverage situation and surrendered a leadoff single that allowed the Mariners’ automatic runner to score from second. He also issued a walk in the inning but induced a double-play grounder and struck out Randy Arozarena to end the game.
“We’re going to be a little bit careful,” Martinez said. “But if he’s good today and we’ve got the lead, he’s definitely our closer. But I’ll have a conversation with him before the game and see how he’s doing.”
* Keibert Ruiz is getting a rare series opener off tonight, even with the Diamondbacks starting a right-hander.
Martinez said he felt Ruiz needed a day off after catching all three games in Seattle, including Thursday night’s 10-inning affair. He had started 11 of the team’s last 12 games.
“It was a byproduct of the long game yesterday and the late night,” Martinez said. “We got in fairly late. So I just wanted to give him a breather.”
Riley Adams, who often catches day games or games against left-handed starters, will be behind the plate tonight against Arizona right-hander Merrill Kelly. Ruiz should start Saturday night against right-hander Brandon Pfaadt, but then there will be a dilemma Sunday afternoon against right-handed ace Corbin Burnes. Ruiz will either have to make the quick turnaround, or Adams will end up starting two games in the three-game series.
