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Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported this afternoon on the Washington Nationals’ plan to call up both outfielder Rafael Bautista and infielder Adrian Sanchez, though he didn’t have any information on the corresponding moves that would be necessary initially.
One, fairly obviously, which Rosenthal confirmed with a source, was to place Shawn Kelley on the Disabled List after the 33-year-old left last night’s game with what Nationals’ skipper Davey Martinez told reporters in San Francisco was an irritated ulnar nerve.
Martinez said it wasn’t a sure thing Kelley would land on the DL, but it made sense given the reliever’s continuing nerve issues in his right elbow.
“He’s going to get reevaluated tomorrow,” Martinez said, “but it’s the same issue, you know, so I think a DL stint for him to get it to calm down a little bit probably won’t be a bad thing.”
Rosenthal later reported, citing a source, that the other move to make room on the major league roster was to option Matt Reynolds to Triple-A Syracuse.
Washington Post writer Jorge Castillo too confirmed the moves with a source as well.
After last night’s outing, Kelley has a 4.50 ERA, a 6.68 FIP, and nine Ks in six innings.
Reynolds, 27, was acquired from the New York Mets this Spring, but the veteran infielder was just 1 for 12 through 10 games coming off the bench for the Nationals.
Bautista, 25, started the season with the Nationals’ Triple-A affiliate in Syracuse, going 18 for 42 early this season (.429/.442/.524) with two doubles, a triple, and three stolen bases, and he was named the International League’s Batter of the Week for this past week. He debuted in the majors last season, going 4 for 25 in limited action.
Sanchez, 27, is 16 for 56 at Triple-A (.286/.349/.411) with four doubles and a home run in 14 games.
In 34 games and 75 PAs with the Nationals last season, the infielder put up a .268/.288/.366 line.
The Nationals haven’t yet announced the moves, but we’ll update here if/when they’re made official...