Romero designated, Montero goes on paternity list

The combination of a short bench, better-than-expected weather and the pending birth of a player's child led the Nationals to make a flurry of roster moves before today's game against the Mets.

Already playing with a four-man bench to begin the season, the club was facing the possibility of even fewer options after Adam Eaton tweaked his ankle during Thursday's home opener. Though the dynamic leadoff man says he feels "great" and is expected back in the lineup Sunday, the Nationals decided not to take any chances and promote utilityman Matt Reynolds from Triple-A Syracuse to give them another option off the bench.

And with Miguel Montero's wife due to give birth, the club placed the veteran catcher on the paternity list and purchased Jhonatan Solano's contract from Syracuse to serve as Pedro Severino's backup for the next three days.

Needing then to reduce their relief corps from eight to seven to create room for Reynolds, the Nationals designated Enny Romero for assignment, leaving the erratic left-hander in roster limbo for now.

"We had to make a move; we needed a roster spot," manager Davey Martinez said. "Tough call. I like Enny a lot. But we designated him and called up Matt Reynolds and Solano. Miggy's having a baby, so he's got three days. I think at this point, an extra guy on the bench is going to help a lot."

The Nationals had been intrigued by Romero's big left-handed arm since the first time they saw him in spring training last year. But after an up-and-down season in which he posted a 3.56 ERA but put 81 runners in base in only 55 2/3 innings, then a rough spring and 2018 debut, he left himself vulnerable to a move like this.

Romero now will wait up to seven days to see if he is claimed by another club, is traded or clears waivers and is outrighted to Syracuse.

With Matt Wieters on the 10-day disabled list with what the Nationals have called a "mild" oblique strain, Montero had ascended to the top catching job. The 34-year-old opened the season 0-for-11 at the plate, and then was replaced behind the plate by Severino in the eighth inning Thursday afternoon. Turns out Montero was experiencing a migraine headache and was having trouble seeing, according to Martinez, so his early departure wasn't related to his wife's pregnancy.

Eaton, meanwhile, is out of today's lineup but said his ankle and knee "feel great" and that he's available off the bench and expects to return to the lineup for Sunday night's series finale. Doctors told him the sudden pain he felt while running the bases Thursday was scar tissue from his surgery breaking up and nothing to be concerned about long-term.

"I haven't had any pain in it this morning, or anything like that," Eaton said. "So I'm going to see what they've got in store for me and go from there. But just walking around, I feel better than I did. ... I don't know the human body, but I'm kind of excited. I just wish they gave me a warning: 'You're going to feel like you got shot, but you're going to feel better afterward.'"

Even though Eaton is available today, the Nationals wanted to be better covered on their bench, so they promoted Reynolds, the former Mets infielder who can also play the outfield in a pinch. Reynolds, who nearly made the roster out of spring training, had traveled to Syracuse and worked out with his new team for a few days, then took a long bus ride to Scranton yesterday in anticipation of the Chiefs' season opener. By the time he arrived at the ballpark, he was informed he was being called up to Washington.

"I was looking forward to playing yesterday," Reynolds said. "But obviously I'm looking forward to playing up here and helping these guys win."