Williams confirms Fister placed on disabled list, sets schedule for Roark and Jordan

Manager Matt Williams confirmed right-hander Doug Fister will be placed on the 15-day disabled list with a right lat strain. "Doug is going to go on the DL, of course," Williams said. "He is going to be shut down from throwing for about five days and see where he is at and start the process of getting him back. "That is the perfect plan, we will see how it goes over the next few and get him back on his program and get him built back up a little bit, so we will see how it goes." Williams said Fister could be out anywhere from three weeks to a full month. "It depends on what we can do to get him back to full strength so when he steps on the mound for us that he is ready to go," Williams said. "It is a little bit of a moving target, but it is roughly that." Then when Fister returns, what is the possiblity of getting him to 75 or 90 pitches? "We want to look at his health first," Williams said. "So if it is 75 (pitches) then that is what it is. (We want him to) not have any inhibition when he goes out there. It depends on how he feels." Williams envisions three innings in Fister's first game back, similar to protocol you would see for any rehabbing pitcher. Start with flat ground then work his way back. He says Fister does still have built up arm strength so he won't be starting over. Williams said it does not look like Fister injured the lat overcompensating for the elbow inflammation. "Not that I could see," Williams said. "He felt it a little bit warming up. He made a play in the infield, he felt it on that. I think it is more precaution than anything. I don't think it had anything to do with the elbow." Williams confirmed that starting pitchers Tanner Roark and Taylor Jordan will get starts in the club's first week. Roark will start the home opener April 4 against the Braves. Strasburg will start April 5. Then, Jordan gets the call on April 6. Williams said Jordan would likely not pitch today, rain out or not. "We probably wont see him today. Moving forward we have to get him ready for the 6th." Williams said Jordan will be on the same preparation schedule that Fister would have been on this week. Jordan will go down and pitch in a minor league game April 1.



A few pregame notes from Norfolk
Nats and Tigers lineups from Nats Park
 

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