Before the day game on Thursday against the New York Mets, the Nationals placed left-handed pitcher, Sean Doolittle on the IL with right knee fatigue, and called up former first-rounder Seth Romero from Fredericksburg according to Britt Ghiroli. With the injury to Sam Freeman, the Nationals are very thin for lefties in the bullpen. Freeman landed on the IL with a flexor strain in his elbow.
The Washington Nationals selected the contract of left-handed pitcher Seth Romero and placed left-handed pitcher Sean Doolittle on the 10-day Injured List (retroactive to Aug. 11) with right knee fatigue on Thursday.
— Britt Ghiroli (@Britt_Ghiroli) August 13, 2020
Chance to Regroup for Sean Doolittle
Since he was traded from the Oakland Athletics, Sean Doolittle has been exceptional in the Nationals bullpen. In 2018, he was an all-star as he posted a 1.60 ERA and 25 saves. In 2019, the Nationals had to overwork Doolittle after struggles by Trevor Rosenthal and Kyle Barraclough. After he hit a wall in August, the Nationals placed Doolittle on the 10-day IL with right knee tendinitis. However, he rebounded in a big way in the 2019 postseason by allowing just two runs in 10 and one-third innings.
Much like August of 2019, Doolittle got off to an awful start to the 2020 season. His fastball dipped to the upper 80s and he surrendered five runs in just three innings. Hopefully, for the Nationals, this short IL stint allows Doolittle to regroup, and work on mechanics to come back like the Sean Doolittle of the 2019 postseason. After the injury to Freeman, the Nationals need Doolittle to be a reliable southpaw in the relief corps.
Surprising Call-up for Seth Romero
Seth Romero has had an odd road to the big leagues. The University of Houston dismissed Romero after off the field issues. Then, after being selected in the first round, he was sent home from spring training in 2018 for violating a club policy. Through two seasons in the minor leagues, Romero had just 14 appearances. In these appearances, Romero had a 4.37 ERA and 69 strikeouts in 47 and one-third innings. After a small drop-off in velocity Romero suffered an injury and underwent Tommy John surgery in September of 2018.
Following the delayed season, the Nationals added Romero to the 60-player roster pool in Spring Training 2.0. After throwing well in Fredericksburg, the Nationals skipper had praise for Romero. “We feel like he’s got the stuff to get big league hitters out. So that’s why he’s here [on the Nationals taxi squad].” The left-handed starter was called up to be a lefty in the bullpen in place of Doolittle despite just 14 minor league appearances. The future may be now as Romero has a chance to cement his spot in the Nationals bullpen, and eventually the rotation.
Looking Forwards in the Bullpen
On Thursday, the Nationals activated Will Harris from the IL. With Harris, they get a key piece back to assist Tanner Rainey and Daniel Hudson in the backend of the bullpen. The Nationals hope that the time off can fix Doolittle enough to add him into the mix. For the time being, they turn to a 24-year old rookie in Seth Romero.
The Nationals announce they have reinstated right-handed pitcher Will Harris from the 10-day Injured List and placed pitcher Sam Freeman on the 10-day Injured List with a left flexor mass strain
— Alex Chappell (@AlexChappell) August 13, 2020
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