Washington Nationals’ Davey Martinez on the plan for fans in the stands in Nationals Park in 2021...

Davey Martinez is excited to have fans back in Nationals Park. “Super excited.” Okay, he’s super excited. “I really am.” The plan, as announced by the club on Monday night, is for a total of 5,000 fans to be allowed on Opening Day, (and the entire homestand, we assume, though that’s not clear), before they talk to the D.C. government and health officials about maybe increasing the total number of fans allowed in the ballpark. But their manager’s all about getting fans back in the stands.

“I mean, like I said before, we miss our fans tremendously,” Martinez told reporters before a Grapefruit League game with the Miami Marlins in West Palm Beach, FL on Tuesday night.

“We’re glad to get some of them back. Hopefully this opens up the doors for the future, but we’re very excited.

“I’ve said this before, they’re the 27th man in our lineup, so we’re jacked about them coming back and being in the stadium.

“I don’t have to hear myself think anymore,” Martinez joked after playing in empty parks with pumped-in crowd noise for 60 games last season, “and that’s kind of nice.”

Even though the crowds will be limited to 5,000 at first, the move opens the doors for more to come in the future, as vaccinations continue and the U.S., as a country, and D.C. work on fighting the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

“Let me tell you this, I am super-excited about our fans coming back into the stadium,” the Nats’ skipper added. “It’s a thrilling feeling knowing that that’s going to happen, it’s finally going to happen again.”

It will not only benefit the team to have cheering fans back in the stands, but as Martinez noted, when asked about the surrounding area, and local business, it will help everyone.

“I know for the businesses around the ballpark, it’s going to be huge for them,” he said.

“Me being one guy who lives close to the ballpark, I like the fact that I can go grab some dinner and say hello to some people and have a good time like we once did, you know.

“With that being said, we still got to remember what’s going on in this country. I know things are getting better, we’ve got to be smart about it.

“I’m so elated that we’re going to see some of our fans back, and for me it just opens the doors of what’s to come, so let’s go Nats, and like I said, see you guys really soon.”

As for just what having fans back in the stands will mean to the players?

“I think the players are excited about it,” Martinez said. “I heard them talking briefly about having the fans back. Like I said, they’re a part of what we do, they’re a part of the game, I always view them as the 27th man as I always talk about, so they’re super-excited. It was no fun playing in an empty stadium last year, so for the guys that did it, they tried to do it as best they could, but having those fans in there rooting for us is going to be amazing.”