Harper out of lineup again

Associated Press

Bryce Harper watches last night's game from the dugout.

His big toe still in pain after a procedure yesterday to remove an ingrown toenail, Bryce Harper is once again out of the Nationals' starting lineup for this afternoon's game against the Cubs.

Harper hoped to return today after missing the series opener, but his toe hasn't healed quite enough yet.

"Harp's still a little tender, and he wanted to wait until he hit on the field," manager Davey Johnson said. "If it's that tender, I'm not starting him. So he's not in the lineup."

With Harper and Jayson Werth (who was officially placed on the 15-day disabled list today) sidelined, Johnson is forced to again cobble together a makeshift outfield that includes Tyler Moore in left field and Roger Bernadina in right field flanking Denard Span.
Read more

Lannan, Perez, Leon coming up

With the calendar about to shift to September, the Nationals have plans to expand their roster in time for Saturday's game against the Cardinals.

Manager Davey Johnson said the club will recall left-hander John Lannan, catcher Sandy Leon and outfielder Eury Perez from Class AAA Syracuse. Veteran utilityman Mark DeRosa also will be activated off the disabled list after missing the last month with an abdominal strain.

The Nationals plan more reinforcements next week, after Syracuse's season ends on Monday. Johnson hinted that outfielder Corey Brown and reliever Christian Garcia will join the big-league roster at that point.

Of the September call-ups, Lannan figures to have the greatest impact. The left-hander was kept at Class AAA the entire season (aside from two spot starts during doubleheaders) specifically to take over the rotation spot that will become vacant when Stephen Strasburg is shut down.
Read more

Who's eligible for the postseason roster?

US Presswire photo

Even if he's not in the big leagues Aug. 31, Eury Perez could appear in the playoffs.

This season has brought about many new ideas and emotions for the Nationals, who for the first time since they arrived in Washington are legitimately in a pennant race. And as a result of that, here's another new concept we're going to have to consider: the August 31 playoff roster deadline.

You've probably been vaguely aware of this deadline in the past but never really had to consider the ins and outs of it. Rest assured, you're not alone. I've had to learn more about all this myself, and even the Nationals front-office folks I talked to the last couple days admitted they had to take something of a crash course on the subject because they've never needed to be experts before.

So consider this an entry-level class in the suddenly pertinent matter of playoff roster construction...

You've probably heard plenty of times before that all postseason rosters must be set by August 31. But that's not entirely true. The only thing that must be set by the end of the month is the pool of players who are eligible to appear in the postseason. And even then, there are