Goodwin returns, now will he make postseason roster?

Goodwin returns, now will he make postseason roster?
The first day of workouts at Nationals Park revealed a welcome sight as outfielder Brian Goodwin returned to the Nationals. Goodwin went through the entire 3 1/2-hour workout without a hitch: running, fielding, catching fly balls and spending extra time in the batter's box. Goodwin has been out since Aug. 14 with a left groin strain. Recently, he has returned to games and built at-bats at instructional league workouts in West Palm Beach, Fla. Goodwin hit .251 with 21 doubles, one triple, 13...

Drew activated, Kelley to 60-day DL with bone chips

Drew activated, Kelley to 60-day DL with bone chips
The Nationals made a 60-day disabled list player swap just before tonight's game, adding Stephen Drew to the active roster while shelving Shawn Kelley for the remainder of the season. Drew, who has been out since July 26 with a tear in his abdomen, is now active but isn't ready to play quite yet. Kelley, who had to depart his Sept. 22 relief appearance with a numb arm, was diagnosed with bone chips in his elbow. The moves don't have any real immediate impact but were necessary transactions...

Drew, Goodwin push to return (Nats lose 3-2)

Drew, Goodwin push to return (Nats lose 3-2)
ATLANTA - Stephen Drew knows the odds are stacked against him. He hasn't played in two months, and he still almost certainly needs surgery this winter for a tear in his abdomen. But the veteran infielder has been able to ramp up his workouts over the last week, and today in addition to taking batting practice he also ran extensively at SunTrust Park. All that leaves Drew with one simple goal in mind: Try to make it back to play again for the Nationals before the end of the regular...

Harper ramps up rehab, runs around warning track

Harper ramps up rehab, runs around warning track
Bryce Harper sightings on the field at Nationals Park these days generate the kind of attention usually reserved in this town for a baby panda at the National Zoo. You never know for sure when they're going to happen, and when they do everybody scrambles for their phones to take photos and video of this rare event. So it was this afternoon when Harper emerged in the right field corner during Nationals batting practice, alongside Harvey Sharman, the club's director of medical services. The...

Harper begins running, taking light swings; Werth returns

Harper begins running, taking light swings; Werth returns
Bryce Harper has taken a few more small but important steps in his return from a significant knee and calf injury, offering a more encouraging outlook for his chances to return to the Nationals in time for the postseason. Harper has begun light hitting and running drills, according to manager Dusty Baker, adding to his earlier throwing sessions as his first attempts at baseball activities since he injured himself Aug. 12 trying to beat out a groundball to first base. "He's hit some off the...

Turner ready to play daily, Difo ready for new role (we're underway)

Turner ready to play daily, Difo ready for new role (we're underway)
Trea Turner could have stayed on rehab in the minors, taking more at-bats in a low-pressure situation and finding his groove before returning to the Nationals lineup. But his fractured right wrist has healed, his body feels equipped to play every day at the big league level and he believes he's ready to return after a stint on the disabled list of exactly 60 days. "That's the one thing I wanted to do: I wanted to get back here as fast as I could, because I wanted to get those at-bats against...

Werth and Scherzer return; Bautista and Stevenson sent down

Werth and Scherzer return; Bautista and Stevenson sent down
The Nationals have reinstated right-hander Max Scherzer and outfielder Jayson Werth prior to tonight's series opener against the Miami Marlins. Scherzer has been on the 10-day disabled list with neck inflammation and will make the start tonight. Werth has been out since June 4 with a broken left foot. He will bat seventh and play right field. The club optioned outfielders Rafael Bautista and Andrew Stevenson to Triple-A Syracuse. Also, the Nats announced that infielder Stephen Drew has been...

Game 130 lineups: Nats vs. Marlins (Werth and Scherzer return)

Game 130 lineups: Nats vs. Marlins (Werth and Scherzer return)
The Nationals welcome back two of their regulars tonight in the series opener against the Marlins. Jayson Werth has been activated from the 60-day disabled list to start tonight, batting seventh and playing right field, after missing 75 games with a left foot contusion. And right-handed ace Max Scherzer will make his first start since Aug. 13. He was on the 10-day DL with a neck strain. Werth was batting .262 with with eight home runs and 18 RBIs before fouling a ball off his foot in Oakland....

Strasburg on track to return Saturday, Turner takes BP on field

Strasburg on track to return Saturday, Turner takes BP on field
Stephen Strasburg appears to be on track to pitch for the Nationals this weekend after a successful rehab start Monday night. And Trea Turner appears to be on track to play shortstop for them not too much longer after that, after taking batting practice on the field this afternoon for the first time since fracturing his wrist. Today's swath of injury updates on South Capitol Street included two bits of particularly encouraging news involving two of the Nationals' most prominent rehabbing...

Strasburg bullpen "went real well," plus other injury updates

Strasburg bullpen "went real well," plus other injury updates
Manager Dusty Baker confirmed that right-hander Stephen Strasburg made it through his bullpen session Sunday very well. Strasburg has been on the disabled list with a right elbow nerve impingement retroactive to July 24. He has missed a couple of starts and this week will miss his third turn in a row. Pitching coach Mike Maddux on the Strasburg bullpen session work Sunday: "Good, went real well, threw a good bullpen." Maddux estimated Strasburg threw around 31 pitches during the bullpen...

Postseason bench will be strong, but who's odd man out?

Postseason bench will be strong, but who's odd man out?
With the addition of veteran infielder/outfielder Howie Kendrick, the Nationals have the makings of an extremely lethal offense starting eight and bench. The club will be especially potent when it gets back starters Jayson Werth, Michael A. Taylor and Trea Turner. Taylor appears the closest of those three to getting back. He began his rehab assignment Monday night for the high Single-A Potomac Nationals, going 0-for-2 with a strikeout as the designated hitter. He looked very good shagging fly...

Baker and Rizzo react to trade for Kendrick; Drew sent to DL

Baker and Rizzo react to trade for Kendrick; Drew sent to DL
The Nationals activated infielder/outfielder Howie Kendrick and placed infielder Stephen Drew on the 10-day disabled list with a left abdominal strain, retroactive to July 26. The team also announced they designated corner infielder Matt Skole for assignment clearing a 40-man roster spot for Kendrick. General manager and president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo said he had always respected the play of Kendrick and had hoped to someday add him to the club. "It came together quickly," Rizzo...

Injuries continue to force Baker to cobble together top of lineup

Injuries continue to force Baker to cobble together top of lineup
ANAHEIM, Calif. - It's part of any manager's job, trying to compensate for injuries, but the challenge for Dusty Baker over the last several weeks has been amplified. Baker already lost leadoff man Adam Eaton to a torn ACL at the end of April. Then he lost No. 2 hitter Jayson Werth to a significant bone bruise and slight fracture of his left foot in early June. Then he lost another top-of-the-order bat, Trea Turner, to a fractured wrist at the end of June. In the wake of all that, Baker has...

With Turner sidelined, Nationals turn to several replacements

With Turner sidelined, Nationals turn to several replacements
ST. LOUIS - The Nationals don't know yet exactly how long they're going to be without Trea Turner, but they know they're going to have to make do without their dynamic leadoff man and shortstop for a significant amount of time. And in their quest to make do, they're going to have to ask for multiple things from multiple players. "We've got to carry on," manager Dusty Baker said before tonight's series opener against the Cardinals. "You can't bring the injury back. We can talk about...

Game 80 lineups: Nats at Cardinals

Game 80 lineups: Nats at Cardinals
ST. LOUIS - Hello from Busch Stadium, where it was pouring only about an hour ago but has since cleared up. And, if we are to trust the forecasters, it should remain clear the rest of the evening as the Nationals and Cardinals open their three-game weekend series. The Nats arrive in town banged-up physically and mentally. They of course lost Trea Turner to a fractured right wrist Thursday. They also continue to wait for several key players (Jayson Werth, Koda Glover, Sammy Solís, Shawn...

Trea Turner fractures wrist in loss to Cubs, no timetable set for return

Trea Turner fractures wrist in loss to Cubs, no timetable set for return
The Nationals fell to the Cubs 5-4 on Thursday when Blake Treinen struggled in the ninth inning and allowed three runs. But the news got worse after the game when the Nats announced that postgame X-rays revealed shortstop Trea Turner has a non-displaced fracture in his right wrist. A similar injury was suffered earlier this season by the Braves' Freddie Freeman. He was injured May 17 against the Blue Jays and is still out of the lineup. The diagnosis for Freeman was approximately eight to 10...

With Rendon down, Drew steps right in and keeps hitting

With Rendon down, Drew steps right in and keeps hitting
MIAMI - The loss of Anthony Rendon this week to a neck stinger could have been a significant blow to the Nationals. Then again, any team that can simply plug Stephen Drew into a starting role when someone else goes down is in an awfully good position. "I like having him around a lot," manager Dusty Baker said. "He can play second, third and short, and first in a pinch. And you don't lose a lot. You don't lose anything on defense. You lose a little range and speed at this point in his...

Nats ride Gonzalez's quality start, flurry of hits to 12-3 romp

Nats ride Gonzalez's quality start, flurry of hits to 12-3 romp
MIAMI - Gio Gonzalez loves pitching in Miami. A couple more starts like the one he authored tonight, and the Nationals left-hander might just find himself making an extra trip back home next month. For the All-Star Game. Gonzalez went seven strong innings in his latest quality start, the Nationals got clutch hits from Bryce Harper, Brian Goodwin, Ryan Zimmerman and Stephen Drew and then piled on late to earn a 12-3 victory over the Marlins. It was Gonzalez's 11th quality start in 15 outings...

Game 71 lineups: Nats at Marlins

Game 71 lineups: Nats at Marlins
MIAMI - It's a new day at Marlins Park, where the Nationals will try to rebound from last night's aggravating 8-7 loss, one that featured a host of poor performances and costly mistakes. Given how much they needed their bullpen (six total innings), the Nats will be asking for length tonight from Gio Gonzalez. Gonzalez, the Miami native, is trying to continue his strong first-half run, one that could earn him a trip back home next month for the All-Star Game. This actually is the lefty's...

Nats blow early six-run lead, lose 8-7 on Ozuna's walk-off hit

Nats blow early six-run lead, lose 8-7 on Ozuna's walk-off hit
MIAMI - Up six runs against yet another division rival hopelessly trying to get within striking distance of the comfortable division leaders? What could possibly go wrong for the Nationals? Well, a lot, as it turned out. Not only did the Nats blow a six-run lead to the Marlins, their subsequent 8-7 loss in tonight's series opener also saw Anthony Rendon depart with an apparent injury. The Marlins stormed back to score six runs off Tanner Roark in the bottom of the third, tied the game again in...