Washington Nationals place Koda Glover on 10-Day DL, reinstate reliever Joe Blanton...

The Washington Nationals placed closer Koda Glover on the 10-Day DL this afternoon with lower back stiffness, and reinstated Joe Blanton from the Disabled List.

Both Glover and Nationals’ skipper Dusty Baker expressed frustration after Saturday’s loss to the Texas Rangers in D.C., with the fact that the 24-year-old right-hander has struggled to stay healthy this season.

Glover missed time earlier this season with a recurrence of a problem with his left hip after he suffered a torn labrum in the hip late last season, but returned to claim the closer’s role.

He took the mound yesterday with a back issue, however, and he struggled, blowing a save opportunity, and only telling his coaches and manager after the outing what he’d been dealing with.

“He admitted he should have told me or us before the game, you know,” Baker told reporters. “He said his back was really locked up, we didn’t know it.

“He’s frustrated and we’re frustrated because we can’t keep him healthy and 100% right now and we don’t know why.”

“I’m tired of being hurt,” Glover said. “Never been hurt before until last year, and ever since then it seems like something new keeps popping up every day, so it’s one of those things where I can’t control it, I just got to put my head down and keep going.”

The latest issue popped up when he was in the shower.

“This morning I was taking a shower,” he said, “bent over to get my body wash, stood up, had a little kink, with some issues I had lately, I kind of pushed myself, I didn’t want to take a day off, I had had three days off already, so I pushed the limits today, tried to pitch through it and it’s one of those things where it was out of my control, and I should have said something early, I didn’t, and now my back is in pretty bad shape.”

On the season, Glover has saved eight games, posting a 5.12 ERA and a 2.62 FIP, with four walks (1.86 BB/9), 17 Ks (7.91 K/9) and a .263/.300/.347 line against in 19 ¹⁄₃ IP.

Blanton, 36, struggled early this season and missed 21 games after landing on the DL with right shoulder inflammation. Baker told reporters earlier this weekend that he’d probably need to make a few rehab starts before returning, but he’s back today with Glover now on the DL.