Kendrick placed on IL with left hamstring strain

By Mark Zuckerman

Nationals

September 09, 2020, 8:17am

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The Nationals have placed Howie Kendrick on the 10-day injured with a left hamstring strain, a decision that seemed more and more likely in recent days as the veteran hitter struggled to get himself in the lineup.

Kendrick did not play in either of the Nats' two wins over the Rays to begin the week after sitting out Sunday's series finale against the Braves. He missed a week in mid-August with what manager Davey Martinez described as "sore hamstrings," apparently debilitating enough that he couldn't even be used as a pinch-hitter in several key late-game situations.

Even when he has been healthy enough to play, Kendrick hasn't been able to match his production from the first several weeks of the season. Owner of a .341 batting average and .825 OPS on Aug. 12, he's batting .220 (11-for-50) with a .608 OPS in 13 games since.

The move is retroactive to Sept. 6, so Kendrick would be eligible to return to the active roster Sept. 16 for the Nationals' final 14 games of the regular season.

The team hasn't announced a corresponding move yet and probably won't until Thursday, when they're set to open a four-game weekend series against the Braves. The only position players currently on the 40-man roster at the alternate training site in Fredericksburg are outfielder Andrew Stevenson and infielder Jake Noll. (Infielder Wilmer Difo, who was designated for assignment last week and cleared waivers, remains in the organization but is no longer on the 40-man roster.)