Washington Nationals Injury Updates: Starlin Castro headed for surgery; Stephen Strasburg waits on test results + more...

PUT A PIN IN IT:

The first year of Starlin Castro’s 2-year/$10M deal effectively ended when he suffered a broken right wrist on a play in the field in Oriole Park last Friday, but he told his skipper Tuesday that if they make it to the postseason this year he’ll see them there.

“He said, ‘Just get to the playoffs and I’ll be back there to help you guys,’” Davey Martinez told reporters before the second of three in Truist Park last night. “That was encouraging.”

Castro, according to his manager, wanted a second opinion after the initial diagnosis, but the doctors apparently agreed that the injury will require surgery.

“Castro will have surgery on Friday,” Martinez said. “They’re putting a pin in his wrist. I talked to him this morning, he sounded upbeat. They said by doing it this way he can recover a lot quicker.”

But not quickly enough to get back to contribute in this shortened 2020 regular season.

He does have a second year on his contract, however, so Castro should be back in 2021 in some role.

STRASDATE (LIKE STRASBURG/UPDATE... WHATEVER YOU MAKE A HEADLINE!!):

Stephen Strasburg went on the 10-Day IL on August 15th with carpal tunnel neuritis of the right hand after the nerve issue which delayed the start of his 2020 campaign recurred in his second start of the season this past weekend. Martinez said on Monday they were now waiting for more test results before they came up with a plan for the right-hander’s rehab, and the manager said on Tuesday that they were still in a holding pattern.

“He’s seeing a hand specialist here soon,” Martinez explained. “So they want to make sure that we get everything together before we come up with some kind of definitive — the only thing I can tell you is that — as of right now he’s going to be out and we’re going to get him right and hopefully we can fix this and we get him back as soon as we can possibly get him back. I haven’t heard anything. I talked to [team trainer Paul Lessard] this morning and he still said he hasn’t really heard a definitive [word] of what’s going on, they still want to run more tests.”

DOOING THE WORK:

Sean Doolittle is down at the Nationals’ Alternate Training Site getting work in as he tries to straighten things out following a rough start to the 2020 campaign. Doolittle went onto the 10-day Injured List on August 13th, (retroactive to Aug. 11), with right knee fatigue, but Doo’s throwing again according to his manager.

“Doolittle threw on flat ground, 20 pitches,” Martinez said on Tuesday. “Said he felt good, the knee felt fine, so if he feels good tomorrow hopefully we’ll get him on the mound to throw a short like — 10-12 pitches off the mound and see how he feels off the mound and we’ll go from there.”

HOW’S HOWIE DOING?:

Howie Kendrick was not a part of the Nationals’ lineup last night, making it four straight in which the 36-year-old, 15-year veteran hasn’t played after his hamstring(s) tightened up.

“He’s progressing,” Martinez said on Tuesday afternoon. “It’s been a slow process. He wants to be out there.

“He ran yesterday, he felt it a little bit. Better, so we’re just going to have to keep an eye on it. I’m hoping today feels a little better, and every day I talk to him before the game to see what he can do, but he said he is feeling better, it’s just slow right now.”

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“We can get him back as soon as possible.”

Kendrick played in five straight and in seven of eight leading up to the hamstring issues, but his manager said it wasn’t something that happened on any one play, but more of a gradual thing.

“I think it just, it built up on him,” Martinez said.

“He came in a couple mornings ago ... he said his leg tightened up on him, his hamstring.

“So, I said, ‘Alright, we’ll give you a day, see how you feel.’ It hasn’t gone away. It is getting better with the treatment and stuff, but it’s still there. So I just want to make sure that he’s good. Like I said, we need him.

“We don’t need him to go on the IL for three weeks, so hopefully he gets better soon.”