The Nationals made a handful of roster moves yesterday, headlined by officially announcing re-signing right-hander Erasmo Ramirez to a one-year deal. To make room on the 40-man roster, right-hander they designated Gerardo Carrillo for assignment.

Also part of the news dump was the Nats announcing they agreed to terms on a one-year contract with Tanner Rainey, avoiding arbitration, and that Lucius Fox cleared outright waivers and has been assigned to Triple-A Rochester. The Nats designated Fox for assignment last week when they claimed right-hander A.J. Alexy off waivers from the Rangers. A lot of moving parts for a simple one-year signing. But you can’t blame general manager Mike Rizzo for getting as much work done as possible before the holidays.

While we shouldn’t expect more news the rest of the week (my famous last words while I’m covering for Mark Zuckerman through Christmas), we can look back on the changes made to the Nationals roster so far this offseason and what they mean in the big picture.

Carrillo was the second of the four players the Nationals received from the Dodgers in exchange for Max Scherzer and Trea Turner at the 2021 deadline to be designated for assignment this year. The Nats designated Donovan Casey for assignment in August when they claimed left-hander Jake McGee from the Brewers. Casey cleared waivers and was assigned to Triple-A Rochester two days later.

After a year that was limited to 21 appearances overall due to injuries and saw him post an 11.32 ERA in 10 games at Double-A Harrisburg, Carrillo is expected to take a similar route as Casey and Fox, going unclaimed on waivers and being re-assigned to one of the Nats’ minor league affiliates.

CHICAGO – The Nationals will skip over Patrick Corbin’s next turn through the rotation but do plan to continue starting the struggling left-hander once he has a chance to work on a few things over the weekend.

Manager Davey Martinez said the club will use the off-day between this road series against the Cubs and the upcoming home series against the Padres to bypass Corbin’s turn in the rotation. He would then return to start Tuesday against the Cubs in D.C.

“For me, it is a tough decision, because he’s very competitive,” Martinez said. “And he takes the ball every five days. He’s trying to sort some things out, and some days he looks really, really good. And the last few outings, he couldn’t get out of the first inning.”

Three consecutive seasons of declining performance reached a low point Saturday in Philadelphia, when Corbin failed to record three outs for the second time in three starts. He currently owns a 4-16 record and 7.02 ERA, both the loss total and ERA figure worst in the majors.

Since earning Cy Young Award votes and helping the Nationals win the World Series in the first year of his six-year, $140 million contract, the lefty has gone 15-39 with a 5.98 ERA and 1.599 WHIP, making him statistically the worst starting pitcher in the big leagues over a three-year span.

PITTSBURGH – Donovan Casey was sitting in a meeting with his Rochester Red Wings teammates Thursday afternoon, learning about nutrition, when manager Matt LeCroy told the group someone had just been called up by the Nationals.

Casey, a 26-year-old outfielder, just assumed it was one of the pitchers, probably a reliever. Until the name that came out of LeCroy’s mouth sounded a little too familiar.

“At the time, I was shoveling food in my mouth,” he said. “He says: ‘Donovan Casey, you’re going up.’ And I was like, huh? … It threw me off a little bit. It was a very emotional day. But I’m happy to be here.”

Casey was retelling the story Friday afternoon inside the visitors’ clubhouse at PNC Park, having indeed been the one who got the call-up to the big leagues for the first time, the shock now wearing off. He had spent the previous 24 hours letting his family and friends know the news, packing up his belongings and making his way with his wife from Rochester to Pittsburgh, where a major league uniform awaited him.

“Emotional,” he said of his phone calls to break the news. “Obviously, when I first told my wife I was getting called up, she was like: ‘Really?’ I was like yeah, I’m not messing with you. She was ecstatic. Honestly, she was more excited than I was. She’s been through the whole entire grind with me, all the ups and downs. I love my dad to death, but I had to tell her (first) because she’s been through thick and thin. It was very emotional.”

PITTSBURGH – The Nationals placed Dee Strange-Gordon, who remains in the team’s downtown hotel with an illness, on the injured list today. The club did not specify which IL the utilityman was placed on, nor divulged what his ailment is, which is how they handled situations the last two seasons when a player tested positive for COVID-19.

Asked this afternoon how Strange-Gordon was doing, manager Davey Martinez said only: “I can’t really talk about much, but he’s doing better.”

Martinez added that no other players were unable to report to the clubhouse. Three players were seen this afternoon wearing masks while indoors, a protocol this season for vaccinated team members who have been deemed close contacts to someone who tests positive. Any unvaccinated players who are determined to be close contacts would have to quarantine for five days.

Strange-Gordon initially was announced as part of the Nationals lineup for Thursday’s series opener against the Pirates, though he never did appear at the ballpark. About 30 minutes before first pitch, the club announced he had been scratched for unspecified reasons.

Players on the COVID-19 IL are removed from the 40-man roster, and the Nats moved quickly today to acquire someone else to take Strange-Gordon’s spot, claiming outfielder Joshua Palacios off waivers from the Blue Jays.

PITTSBURGH - Manager Davey Martinez could also use a more consistent performance from his lineup, which on Thursday busted out for three quick runs in the top of the first against Pirates starter J.T. Brubaker and then went mostly silent the rest of the way.

As expected, the Nationals have made a roster move today. Dee Strange-Gordon has been placed on the injured list with an unspecified ailment. As Martinez said Thursday night, he’s back at the hotel with an illness. He has come off the 40-man roster, which is what happens when someone is placed on the COVID-19 IL. (The Nats immediately filled that 40-man roster spot by claiming outfielder Joshua Palacios from the Blue Jays an optioning him to Triple-A Rochester.)

Taking Strange-Gordon’s spot on the big league roster is outfielder Donovan Casey, one of the four prospects acquired from the Dodgers last summer for Max Scherzer and Trea Turner. Casey had played in six games for Rochester so far, hitting .250 with two doubles, two triples, a homer and six RBIs.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at PITTSBURGH PIRATES
Where: PNC Park
Gametime: 6:35 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 The Fan, MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 66 degrees, wind 13 mph out to left field

NATIONALS
2B César Hernández
RF Juan Soto
DH Nelson Cruz
1B Josh Bell
C Keibert Ruiz
LF Yadiel Hernandez
3B Maikel Franco
CF Lane Thomas
SS Alcides Escobar
RHP Erick Fedde

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