Catching up with Danny Rosenbaum

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With the Nationals experiencing an inordinate amount of injuries this season, a revolving door of opportunity has opened up for players in their minor league system. Through 62 games in 2013, they have already produced five major league debuts and needed eleven total call-ups.

Specifically with pitching, the Nationals have already needed more reinforcements for their starting rotation than they did all of last season. They have called on veteran Zach Duke out of the bullpen, rookie Nathan Karns from Harrisburg, and are expected to bring up Ross Ohlendorf from Triple-A for Wednesday in Colorado.

Still waiting for his own call-up is Syracuse lefty Danny Rosenbaum, who is as close to realizing his MLB dream as he’s ever been. In his fifth year as part of the Nationals’ minor league system, Rosenbaum is 5-3 with a 3.44 ERA for the Chiefs this season. He has succeeded at each of the Nats’ affiliates with a career 2.91 ERA in the minors.

Knowing it could happen any day now, Rosenbaum is trying to focus on the task at hand and taking care of business at Syracuse. He said it can be distracting to think about it too much and believes it affected his performance last year.

“It’s really good to see all these guys get called up,” he said. “But it’s something that I can’t really stress about or worry about. I think that’s what I did last year and that’s when I started getting in trouble. I was thinking about all the wrong things. I need to stay focused on what we’re doing and just keep pitching.” 

Nats bring back Young, plus other notes

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After spending almost two weeks searching for a big league job outside of Washington, right-handed pitcher Chris Young has returned to the Nationals with a minor league contract. The 6’10” veteran will report to Viera, Florida to throw a few bullpen sessions before joining the Triple-A affiliate Syracuse Chiefs.

Young was granted an unconditional release by the Nats on March 26 to seek offers from other teams after he opted out of his minor league deal with the club. He appeared in four spring training games with Washington, posting a 2.25 ERA in 16 innings pitched. He allowed 11 hits, two home runs, and kept opponents to a .193 batting average.

Young’s brief stint with the Nationals impressed manager Davey Johnson and left him surprised no one picked him up.

“He had a good spring for us. It was probably that late in the year that a lot of clubs are going with their young guys,” Johnson said.

“He threw the ball good this spring, pitched really well, he’s a competitor. He’s real great insurance.”

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Nationals release Young

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Chris Young posted a 2.25 ERA in four starts with the Nationals.

JUPITER, Fla. -- The Nationals granted Chris Young his unconditional release this morning, making the veteran right-hander a free agent and allowing him to sign a big-league contract with another club.

Young had filed paperwork to opt out of his minor-league deal last night after pitching against the Astros in Kissimmee. The Nationals then had 24 hours to either put the 33-year-old on their 25-man roster, pay him a $100,000 retention bonus or release him.

Though the Nationals were hoping to keep Young in the organization as an emergency starter at Class AAA, and though he expressed a desire to stay last night, the two sides couldn't find

Young opts out, still hopes to stay

Associated Press

Chris Young allowed one unearned run in four innings tonight.

Updated at 10:25 p.m.

KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- Chris Young filed paperwork today to opt out of his minor-league contract with the Nationals, but the veteran right-hander said he's still hopeful something could be worked out to keep him in the organization.

Young, who started tonight against the Astros and allowed one unearned run over four strong innings, will return to Viera after the game and wait to learn tomorrow whether the Nationals will put him on their Opening Day roster. He knows that's not going to happen, barring a last-minute injury, but he's been in talks with them about finding another way to remain with the organization.

"I'm realistic. I know the roster's full," he said outside the clubhouse at Osceola County Stadium. "I understand that. We've talked about maybe trying to work something out to where I can stay. We're not there right now. But there's interest from other clubs. I just have to weigh all the options and see what's best for me and my family and my career."
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Nats vs. Astros - 3/25/13

Photo by Mark Zuckerman / NATS INSIDER

The Nationals face Bo Porter and the Astros tonight at Osceola County Stadium.

KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- We are officially less than one week away from Opening Day -- check out the countdown clock to the right -- and most of the Nationals' spring decisions have been made. One of the few remaining big ones, though, should come later tonight, when Chris Young decides whether or not to opt-out of his minor-league contract. (The educated guess here: He will opt-out, with some other club offering him a spot on their big-league staff.)

First, Young will take the mound this evening to face the Astros in what could very well be his final start for the Nationals. The veteran right-hander has progressively gotten better with each outing this spring, culminating with five scoreless innings last time out against the Marlins. We'll see how he handles Bo Porter's Houston squad tonight.

All the regulars are in the lineup for the Nationals. In fact, every position player still in camp besides Kurt Suzuki made the trip to Kissimmee for this one.

Updates to come, please check back...

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. HOUSTON ASTROS
Where: Osceola County Stadium, Kissimmee
Gametime: 6:05 p.m. EST
TV: MLB.tv (live), MLB Network (delayed at 3 a.m.)
Radio: Astros radio via MLB Gameday Audio
Weather: Sunny, 67 degrees, Wind 14 mph out to RF

NATIONALS
CF Denard Span
RF Jayson Werth
LF Bryce Harper
3B Ryan Zimmerman

Young will pitch tomorrow, then decide

Associated Press

Chris Young tossed five scoreless innings on Wednesday.

VIERA, Fla. -- Chris Young will make his scheduled start tomorrow night against the Astros before deciding whether to opt out of his minor-league contract with the Nationals and sign with another club.

The Nationals must decide today whether to add Young to their 25-man roster, and they don't intend to unless one of their five starting pitchers gets hurt. Young then has until the end of the day tomorrow to either opt out or stay with the Nationals and agree to open the year at Class AAA Syracuse.

Though the veteran right-hander wouldn't get into specifics this morning, he strongly indicated he's got offers to pitch for major-league teams, which would prompt him to opt out.

"I'm not going to get into the details of it, but there's opportunities," he said. "I'm just trying to decide what the best fit is, in a lot of different ways. There's just so many considerations. I can't get into every hypothetical. Once I have all the information, I'll evaluate and see."
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After strong start, decision time for Young

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Right-hander Chris Young tossed five scoreless innings against the Marlins.

JUPITER, Fla. -- Chris Young knows he has a decision to make this weekend. And he knows what his choice will be, if presented with the opportunity to opt out of his minor-league contract with the Nationals and sign a major-league deal with another club.

"I do feel like I'm a big-league pitcher," the veteran right-hander said. "To turn down a big-league opportunity to go to Triple-A is probably not in my best interest. If I'm weighing Triple-A options, this would be at the top of my list. If I'm comparing a big-league opportunity to a Triple-A option, I think you guys would all do the same thing."

If Young was hoping to make a late push to convince another team he's good enough to start in the majors come April, he certainly picked an opportune time to do it this afternoon at Roger Dean Stadium. He tossed five scoreless innings against the Marlins,

Nats vs. Marlins - 3/20/13

Photo by Mark Zuckerman / NATS INSIDER

The Nationals face the Marlins today at Roger Dean Stadium.

JUPITER, Fla. -- It's rare you'll find veterans the likes of Jayson Werth, Adam LaRoche and Ryan Zimmerman making the 1-hour, 45-minute trek from Viera to Jupiter, but today is indeed a rare day for the Nationals because the entire starting lineup is here to face the Marlins. With an off-day yesterday and with the countdown to Opening Day nearing its conclusion, Davey Johnson wants to give these guys as much playing time as possible, so they're all on the road for a change.

Chris Young will be on the mound, making what could be his final appearance in a Nationals uniform. The veteran right-hander, as surely you know by now, has an out-clause in his contract that he's allowed to enact on Sunday. A solid outing today might be enough to convince another club to offer Young a big-league job, and you'd have to think he'd take that opportunity. (You also have to wonder whether the Nats actually wouldn't mind a less-than-perfect start from him, perhaps making the possibility of keeping him at Syracuse more likely.)

No TV or radio today, but I'll have plenty of updates right here, so please check back often...

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. MIAMI MARLINS
Where: Roger Dean Stadium, Jupiter
Gametime: 1:05 p.m. EDT
TV: None
Radio: None
Weather: Partly cloudy, 80 degrees, Wind 7 mph RF to LF

NATIONALS
CF Denard Span
RF Jayson Werth
LF Bryce Harper
3B Ryan Zimmerman

Who's left in camp?

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Utilityman Carlos Rivero is one of 33 players still in big-league camp.

Yesterday's round of cuts at Nationals camp brought the roster of players still in the big-league clubhouse down to a mere 33 with two weeks to go until Opening Day.

Davey Johnson said he plans to start using all his regulars now that they've hit the home stretch of spring training, and he wasn't kidding. With so few reserves around anymore, he has no choice but to play the starters.

We've outlined throughout camp how the Opening Day roster really has been set all along, with injuries or a true surprise the only developments capable of throwing a wrench into those plans. But there is still some mystery what will happen to the eight players who are still in big-league camp but are all but certain not to head north with the club next week.

So with the Nationals getting their third and final day off of the spring, let's take this opportunity to refresh everyone's memory. Here are the 33 players still in big-league camp, with some speculation about what might happen to the eight unfortunate souls who won't still be standing come Opening Day...

Rotation order coming into focus

Associated Press

Ross Detwiler rejoined the Nationals today after pitching in the WBC.

VIERA, Fla. -- With Gio Gonzalez and Ross Detwiler set to rejoin the club following Team USA's elimination from the World Baseball Classic, the Nationals are able to begin setting their starting rotation for the regular season.

Without fully confirming the order his five starters will pitch to open the season, manager Davey Johnson essentially revealed Stephen Strasburg will be followed by Gio Gonzalez, Jordan Zimmerman, Dan Haren and Ross Detwiler.

The only moderate surprise there is the use of Haren in the No. 4 spot and Detwiler in the No. 5 spot. The two hurlers had been aligned the opposite way earlier this spring, fully breaking up the Nationals' two left-handed starters.

Johnson, though, seems to be deferring to Haren's veteran status in starting him ahead of Detwiler.

"It's just basically we have him a little ahead of Det in experience," the manager said.
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Progress for Young in 2nd start

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Chris Young allowed one run over four innings today against the Astros.

VIERA, Fla. -- Chris Young signed late this spring, joined the Nationals after camp had already opened and is trying to get his mechanics all the way back to normal following several years of shoulder trouble. So the veteran right-hander understands results right now are far less significant than the progress he makes start to start.

And Young did make progress in his second outing of the spring, allowing one run over four innings against the Astros but more importantly getting his mechanics closer to ideal form.

"Today was progress, for sure," he said. "A step in the right direction. Command was a little bit better. Still not exactly where I want it, but it's still spring training. Overall, I think there were some positives."

Though he's making progress, Young may not have much more time in Nationals camp to make an impression. He's currently filling in for Ross Detwiler, who has been pitching for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, so he'll lose that starting job once the left-hander returns in the next week.
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Nats vs. Astros - 3/14/13

Photo by Mark Zuckerman / NATS INSIDER

Bo Porter and the Astros are back at Space Coast Stadium today.

VIERA, Fla. -- Davey Johnson has wanted his regulars to begin getting more playing time, and today nearly all of them will get an opportunity to start back-to-back games for the first time. This is essentially the same lineup as Johnson fielded yesterday, except for Steve Lombardozzi at third base instead of Chad Tracy.

Among those going back-to-back is Wilson Ramos, who caught five innings yesterday and is scheduled to do the same today. The only remaining hurdle for Ramos in his return from ACL surgery will be to play a full, nine-inning game. Johnson suggested today that neither Ramos nor fellow catcher Kurt Suzuki is likely to do that for another week or so.

Today is Ross Detwiler's turn to pitch, but with the lefty in Miami with Team USA, Chris Young will again get the nod for the Nationals. Young was a bit erratic in his first start, so he'll be seeking some more consistency this time out. Each one of the right-hander's outings is significant at this point, because he can opt out of his contract on March 24. If he pitches well, you've got to think there will be a couple of major-league clubs interested in his services.

Plenty of updates and analysis to come, so please check back often...

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. HOUSTON ASTROS
Where: Space Coast Stadium, Viera
Gametime: 1:05 p.m. EST
TV: None
Radio: WHFS (1580 AM), MLB Gameday Audio
Weather: Partly cloudy, 59 degrees, Wind 17 mph out to CF

NATIONALS
CF Denard Span
RF Jayson Werth
LF Bryce Harper
DH Ryan Zimmerman

What's left this spring?

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Ryan Zimmerman has yet to play in the field this spring.

In only seven words, Bryce Harper yesterday probably summed up the way everyone around the Nationals feels right now.

"Can't it just be April 1st already!" the All-Star outfielder posted on his Twitter account, this after he recorded his 14th hit in 32 spring training at-bats.

Hate to break the news to you, Bryce, but there's still a ways to go before you guys can take the field at Nationals Park for Opening Day against the Marlins. On the bright side, you are inching closer to April, the longest spring training on record having now moved past the two-third mark.

The Nationals break camp 16 days from now, so the finish line is starting to come into view. They're off today, then play 17 more Grapefruit League games before finally boarding their charter flight north. (FYI: I'm heading back down to Florida later today for the

Nats hope Young can be 6th starter

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Chris Young is 53-43 with a 3.79 ERA in 159 career starts.

VIERA, Fla. -- For months, there has been concern within the Nationals organization about the lack of viable pitching depth should one of their five starters succumb to injury.

If Chris Young is finally healthy after a long battle with shoulder trouble -- and if he's willing to report to Class AAA when camp breaks in a month -- the Nationals might just have their much-needed No. 6 starter.

"As far as I'm concerned, he steps into that role," manager Davey Johnson said. "If anything happens to any of my starters, he'd be right at the top of the list."

Young, who agreed to a minor-league contract yesterday, arrived at Nationals camp today. The 33-year-old right-hander took a physical and was scheduled to throw a bullpen session in front of team officials, then officially join the club for the remainder of the spring.
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Nats add veteran Young on minors deal

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Chris Young is 53-43 with a 3.79 ERA in 159 career starts.

VIERA, Fla. -- In their ongoing quest to add more pitching depth, the Nationals have signed veteran right-hander Chris Young to a minor-league contract.

Young, 33, will report to big-league camp and should have a chance to pitch in Grapefruit League games, but is almost certainly headed to the Opening Day rotation at Class AAA Syracuse.

A former All-Star with the Padres, Young's career has been saddled in recent years by shoulder injuries. He appeared in only eight total games between 2010-11 but bounced back last year to make 20 starts for the Mets, going 4-9 with a 4.15 ERA.

The towering, 6-foot-10 Young remains a sinkerball specialist and saw his velocity creep back into the high 80s late last season in New York.

Overall, Young owns a 53-43 record and 3.79 ERA in 159 career starts with the Rangers, Padres and Mets.