Williams unsure of timetable for Fister after MRI reveals no tear

SAN DIEGO - Nationals starter Doug Fister met with team orthopedist Dr. Wiemi Douoguih in Washington, D.C., today after experiencing tightness in his right forearm in the second inning of his Thursday night outing.

"He's got a flexor strain," Nationals manager Matt Williams reported. "The fact that there's no tear in the MRI, that's a really good sign."

Fister was placed on the 15-day disabled list on Friday.

"He gets shut down for a few days, making sure that it's calmed down enough," Williams said. "He's on some anti-inflammatory medication. He'll start a little bit of a strengthening program after that and then get back to throwing fairly soon."

Williams was unsure exactly how long the Nationals will be without Fister.

"It depends on how long it takes to calm it down," he said. "Anytime you have a strained muscle, then you're gonna have to shut down for a little while and calm it down. Everybody is different in that regard, so we'll make sure that it's calm and he feels nothing before he starts that program again. There's no timetable or anything because we have to wait 'til he feels good."

The Nationals do have the benefit of upcoming off-days on Monday and Thursday, as well as the following Thursday in between road series in Chicago and Cincinnati. This allows Williams a number of options, including using a four-man rotation for the time being.

Rookie A.J. Cole was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse on Friday to fill Fister's roster spot. After traveling across the country, Cole pitched three scoreless innings, earning his first career save in last night's win. It was just his second major league appearance.

Fister was 2-2 with a 4.31 ERA in seven starts this year before heading to the DL. He was banged around for seven runs on eight hits, including two homers, in just two innings on Thursday.

Last season, Fister led all Nats starters with 16 wins and a 2.41 ERA.