H-Rod dealt to Cubs for minor-leaguer

Henry Rodriguez's tenure with the Nationals organization officially came to an end late Tuesday night when the the club dealt the erratic reliever to the Cubs for a 22-year-old right-hander with a 6.06 ERA in two seasons at Class A.

The Nationals announced they had traded Rodriguez, who was designated for assignment last week, to Chicago for Ian Dickson, a 31st-round pick in the 2011 draft who has struggled in two professional seasons. In 11 appearances (three starts) this year with high-Class A Kane County, Dickson owned a 6.88 ERA while putting 56 men on base in 35 1/3 innings.

That, more than anything, revealed how low Rodriguez's stock had fallen. Acquired from the Athletics with outfielder Corey Brown in the 2010 deal that sent slugger Josh Willingham to Oakland, Rodriguez was once thought of as a potential big-league closer.

The right-hander did save nine games for the Nationals early last season after Drew Storen and Brad Lidge suffered injuries, but he never found any semblance of consistency during his 2 1/2 years

Rendon on 2B, H-Rod on getting DFA'd

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Called up on Tuesday as part of a significant overhaul of the Nationals’ roster, rookie Anthony Rendon is expected to play primarily at second base while up with the big-league club. He played some at the position in the team’s minor-league system and knows it could be his ticket to staying in the majors for good.

“I think I'll be all right,” he said. “Obviously the more reps you get at a position, the more comfortable you're going get. I think it just takes time to where I actually get it down to be my best.”

Rendon said second base was actually the first position he remembers manning as a young baseball player, at 5 or 6 years old.

“I feel comfortable there,” he said. “I grew up playing second base. That was actually my first position growing up, because I was

Espinosa to DL, H-Rod and Duke DFA'd

[Updated 6:07 p.m.]

Returning home a game below .500 after a series loss against the Atlanta Braves, the Nationals made major roster moves on Tuesday in attempt to right the ship.

Second baseman Danny Espinosa was sent to the 15-day disabled list (retroactive to June 3), and relief pitchers Henry Rodgriguez and Zach Duke were designated for assignment. Called up to replace them were infielder Anthony Rendon from the Syracuse Chiefs and relief pitcher Ian Krol from the Harrisburg Senators. Outfielder Jayson Werth was also activated from the disabled list.

“It was a tough day for me,” manager Davey Johnson said. “Any time you have to designate a couple of your family to the waiver list, it’s tough. You feel a little lost that you couldn’t have put them in situations to get better. So it hurts, it hurts both ways.”

“It has nothing to do with trying something different,” general manager Mike Rizzo said. “It’s putting the best 25 out there at this particular time to help us win baseball games. “

Wasted opportunity

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Danny Espinosa watches as the Braves celebrate their walk-off win.

ATLANTA — As the Braves mobbed B.J. Upton in the middle of the diamond at Turner Field late Saturday night, the beleaguered center fielder having just delivered the base hit that dealt the Nationals a maddening 2-1 loss in 10 innings, it was easy to point to the man on the mound as the one most responsible for the outcome.

And certainly Henry Rodriguez played a major role. He displayed zero command of the strike zone, throwing 10 of his 15 pitches for balls. He walked two of the first three batters he faced, the other giving himself up on a failed sacrifice bunt attempt. He paid zero attention a runner on first base, letting him steal second without so much as a glance. And he gave up the game-winning hit to Upton, sending a crowd of 46,910 into pandemonium.

But it's also accurate to point out that Rodriguez's services never would have been needed in this game had the Nationals merely managed to bring home a runner from third with nobody out in the top of the ninth, a golden opportunity against the formidable Craig Kimbrel completely squandered by three members of their lineup.

"We had him in a jam," manager Davey Johnson said. "All we had to do was put the ball in play, a little sac fly. It's frustrating."
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Detwiler on track; bullpen concerns

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Ross Detwiler threw a bullpen session on Saturday afternoon at Nationals Park, keeping him on track to return on Tuesday against the Baltimore Orioles. The lefty has been sidelined with a mild oblique strain after aggravating the muscle on May 15 against in Los Angeles against the Dodgers.

Detwiler took the field around 2:45 to stretch, threw some longball, and then went about his bullpen session as if it were any other.

“It was a normal bullpen session. The only difference was I sat down halfway through there for about five minutes to simulate an inning, and then I got back up and threw and everything was good.”

Detwiler feels fine, no soreness or pain to report on. He missed one start, but is ready to slot right back into the rotation.

“Any time you get healthy again it’s definitely going to be a relief. But the thing [is] I kind of went and threw a little harder today than I normally would just so I wouldn’t have any, I wouldn’t hold back anything. I proved to myself that I was healthy and I’m ready to go.”

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Davey sticking with Espinosa through slump

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Through his first 16 games this season, Danny Espinosa has played crisp defense at second base and cut down his strikeouts to about half the rate he whiffed last season. But a late 2012 slump has seemed to carry over into the new year as Espinosa remains a hole in the Nationals’ lineup with an ugly .167 batting average and just three hits in his last eight games. 

The Nationals falling to .500 (10-10) on Tuesday night prompted manager Davey Johnson to make some lineup changes, but Espinosa remained at second base. The Nats skipper thinks if he keeps Espinosa in there, at some point he will pull through.

“Danny had a great spring. He’s a deep thinker, too. Sometimes he gets in his own way,” Johnson said.

“I see signs where it looks like he’s really getting focused and then I see times where he gets thinking too much. He’s not alone. Desi does the same thing. Tries to do too much and have conversations with him. Mostly, you gotta just stay positive.”

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Ramos to start Opening Day, Rodriguez makes team

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With their exhibition schedule now in the books, the Nationals have sorted out their final roster decisions. Manager Davey Johnson announced on Friday Wilson Ramos will start at catcher on Opening Day and that relief pitcher Henry Rodriguez will make the 25-man roster.

Ramos is slated to catch the first game with Kurt Suzuki taking over on Wednesday to catch Gio Gonzalez. Johnson said he looks at both Ramos and Suzuki as number one catchers and the two will alternate depending on the pitcher. 

The 25-year-old Ramos in some ways completes an almost year-long comeback from tearing the ACL in his right knee last May. He started last Opening Day after finishing fourth in N.L. Rookie of the Year voting in 2011.

Johnson approached Ramos during batting practice on Friday to share the news.

“I have been waiting for this moment,” Ramos said. “I was sliding, I was working to get my job back. This is a very exciting day for me.”

“The last ten or 11 months I have worked hard for this moment.”

Johnson explained the decision in part as a reward for Ramos’ perseverance and hard work. He saw Ramos the day he suffered the injury and was amazed at the shape he was in when pitchers and catchers reported back in February.

Rodriguez/Romero decision still on tap

VIERA, Fla. -- It looks like the final roster decision the Nationals must make before Opening Day -- Henry Rodriguez or J.C. Romero in their bullpen? -- will go right down to the wire.

Manager Davey Johnson again was noncommittal when talking about the two relievers this morning before the Nationals' final game in Florida, saying only that Romero will come north with the club for tomorrow's exhibition game against the Yankees but leaving the door open where the left-hander will go from there.

"J.C. Romero is going to go with us to D.C.," Johnson said. "And barring anything -- an injury or anything -- he'll go from there to Syracuse."

That injury could be to Rodriguez, who is returning from elbow surgery and complained of soreness earlier this week. The right-hander is scheduled to pitch tomorrow against New York. If he emerges healthy, he will make the roster. If not, he would start the season on the disabled list and Romero would make the club.

Two cuts today, Romero going north

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GM Mike Rizzo talks on the phone before today's game against the Braves.

VIERA, Fla. -- The Nationals made another round of cuts following today's 11-2 win over the Braves, sending left-hander Fernando Abad and catcher Carlos Maldonado to minor-league camp.

Manager Davey Johnson said he'll send two more players down after tomorrow's Grapefruit League finale: outfielder Micah Owings and infidler Carlos Rivero (who has already been outrighted to Class AAA Syracuse but has remained in big-league camp).

That will leave only 26 active players on the roster when camp breaks tomorrow evening and the team flies north to Washington. And on that flight will be J.C. Romero, who still has a chance to crack the Opening Day bullpen over Henry Rodriguez.

Johnson approached Romero in the clubhouse after today's game and clued the veteran left-hander in on his travel plans without revealing the ultimate answer: where he'll be come Opening Day.
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Could Romero take Rodriguez's spot?

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J.C. Romero looked sharp in his first Nats appearance last night.

VIERA, Fla. -- From the moment they arrived for spring training six weeks ago, the Nationals knew they had perhaps one spot on their Opening Day roster up for grabs: The final spot in their bullpen.

As the spring played out and several potential contenders either succumbed to injury (Christian Garcia) or were shipped to minor-league camp (Bill Bray, Will Ohman), that roster spot appeared not to be up for grabs at all. The job would go to Henry Rodriguez.

But as the clock winds down on the longest camp in franchise history, the Nationals aren't talking about Rodriguez's status with any level of certainty. And after the right-hander endured though yet another erratic outing last night, only to watch as the recently signed J.C. Romero cruised through a 1-2-3 inning of relief, there's reason to wonder whether this spot really is up for grabs after all

Rodriguez scheduled to pitch tonight

KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- Nationals reliever Henry Rodriguez, held out of yesterday's game due to elbow soreness, is scheduled to pitch tonight against the Astros, manager Davey Johnson said.

Rodriguez met with Johnson yesterday and told his manager the elbow soreness he'd been feeling wasn't a product of pitching, but rather stretching in the trainer's room.

"It doesn't bother him to throw, it just bothers him stretching," Johnson said. "They do a lot of stuff in there when they're stretching, so he's sore. Every time I go in there, they stretch me and I'm sore. I computed that in, and he says he's fine."

After surgery last summer to remove bone chips from his right elbow, Rodriguez still lags behind the rest of the Nationals' relief corps. He was held back early in camp but has ramped up his work recently and appeared in five games in nine days from March 14-22.
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Rodriguez dealing with sore elbow

VIERA, Fla. -- Henry Rodriguez is dealing with "soreness" in his throwing elbow, and though the Nationals insist it's nothing serious, it does at least create the possibility of an available job in the club's Opening Day bullpen.

Rodriguez, who had surgery last summer to remove bone chips in his right elbow, has been brought along slowly this spring but has seen his workload increase over the last week. He pitched five times in a nine-day span from March 14-22 and over his last three innings has allowed three runs while issuing six walks.

Manager Davey Johnson said he's been expecting Rodriguez to experience some soreness with the increased workload and wasn't surprised to learn of the problem this morning.

"It's probably a little inflammation from throwing a lot," Johnson said. "I was expecting that earlier."

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

Who gets the final bullpen spot?

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Fernando Abad is surprisingly in the mix for the final bullpen spot.

It was perhaps the only spot on the Nationals' 25-man roster that was undecided when camp opened three weeks ago, but even then the options were pretty clear: The final man in the Opening Day bullpen would be Henry Rodriguez if healthy; if not, it would be either lefty Bill Bray or right-hander Christian Garcia.

Nearly halfway through spring training, that spot remains very much up for grabs, except now there's no telling who will emerge from the pack after a combination of injuries and demotions has thrown a wrench into the Nationals' plans.

Yesterday's first round of cuts eliminated three left-handers from big-league camp: Bray, veteran Will Ohman and spring training invitee Brandon Mann. Which, on the surface, would seem to further emphasize the likelihood of the Nationals' opening the season without a traditional, lefty specialist in their bullpen.

Just one problem: The right-handers contending for that spot haven't seen any game action yet due to injuries.

Rodriguez close to game-ready

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Henry Rodriguez has yet to appear in a game this spring.

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- Reliever Henry Rodriguez, being brought along slowly by the Nationals this spring following last year's elbow surgery, is close to being cleared to pitch in games and make his case for a spot in the Opening Day bullpen.

Rodriguez threw off a bullpen mound yesterday in front of team officials and looked sharp, according to manager Davey Johnson.

The Nationals will have the right-hander throw one more bullpen session, then face hitters in a "live BP" setting before he appears in a Grapefruit League game. That's similar to the plan the club has for recently signed right-hander Chris Young.

Even if he doesn't make his spring debut until next week, Rodriguez still has plenty of time to earn a roster spot. He's one of several pitchers in the running for the final spot in the Nationals' bullpen -- along with fellow right-hander Christian Garcia and non-roster lefty Bill Bray -- and probably holds the upper hand based on the fact he's out of options and can't be sent to the minors without first clearing waivers.
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Duke, Garcia added to bullpen

As well as each was pitching all summer at Class AAA Syracuse, neither Zach Duke nor Christian Garcia ever gave serious thought to the possibility of getting promoted to join the Nationals before season's end.

Not that they hadn't performed well enough to merit consideration for a promotion. But with the Nationals posting baseball's best record behind the sport's best pitching staff -- and considering neither held a spot on the organization's 40-man roster -- they knew the odds were slim at best their services would be needed at the big-league level.

That only made the experience of donning Nationals caps and jerseys for the first time this morning sweeter for both players. Each had his contract purchased and was promoted to Washington for the remainder of the season.

"I knew the way these guys were throwing up here that for me to get called up there'd have to be an injury -- or probably two or three injuries -- so I didn't expect to be called up," Duke said. "It was pretty shocking and very overwhelming. ... I'm just so thankful for it."

Rodriguez has surgery for bone spur

Henry Rodriguez has made two stints on the disabled list this season for injuries the Nationals said were to his index finger and his lower back. Turns out the biggest issue with the erratic reliever was a bone spur in his right elbow that required surgery today.

Rodriguez was operated on by team orthopedist Wiemi Douoguih; he may not be able to pitch in winter ball but is expected to be fully healed for the start of spring training.

General manager Mike Rizzo said Rodriguez only began complaining about discomfort in his elbow in roughly mid-July, but it's not certain how long he was pitching with the injury, or what effect it had on his performance. After failing to surrender an earned run in any of his first nine appearances this season, Rodriguez posted an 8.14 ERA over his final 26 games.

"I'm not sure [what the effect was], but Henry has got great upside," Rizzo said. "He's a power pitcher, and if this injury prevented him from

Werth activated, Rodriguez to DL

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Jayson Werth is back in the Nationals' lineup for tonight's game.

Updated at 8:00 p.m.

Davey Johnson said all along the man who would decide when Jayson Werth came off the disabled list would be Jayson Werth.

So when the veteran outfielder sent word late Wednesday night through general manager Mike Rizzo that he was ready to return after nine games on a rehab assignment with Class AAA Syracuse and Class A Potomac, the Nationals manager didn't need to hear any more information.

"That was what I was waiting for, him to say: 'I'm ready,'" Johnson said this afternoon.

Thus, for the first time since May 6, Werth is in the Nationals' lineup, starting in center field and batting sixth against the Phillies. He makes his return slightly less than three months after breaking his left wrist trying to make a sliding catch in right field against the same Philadelphia club, with the same left-hander (Cole Hamels) on the mound.
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