Nationals Pitcher DJ Herz Suffers Key Injury Setback on Rehab Assignment

The Washington Nationals got some rough injury news.

Washington Nationals pitcher DJ Herz | Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images

There was some unfortunate news for the Washington Nationals revealed on Sunday.

Left-handed pitcher DJ Herz, who was scheduled to make a start for Single-A Fredericksburg as part of his rehab assignment, experienced forearm soreness following his last appearance on June 16. That caused the Nationals to skip his expected outing on June 22.

Now, according to Spencer Nusbaum of The Athletic, Washington gave a further update on Herz, and the diagnosis was not positive. It was determined that he has a flexor muscle strain, which will likely shut him down for the next few weeks and push back his projected return date to later in the season.

When Could DJ Herz Return for Nationals?

Washington Nationals pitcher DJ Herz | Philip G. Pavely-Imagn Images

Herz, who is trying to make his return from Tommy John surgery, was expected to be back on the major league mound at some point this summer. It wasn't clear whether that was going to be before or after the All-Star break, but because he had been progressing so well prior to this setback, there was some hope that he could return before the Midsummer Classic.

That is not going to be the case now. Depending on how severe this strain is, Herz will be shut down for at least two weeks. And since he's coming back from a Tommy John procedure, there's a good chance the Nationals are cautious with the left-hander and decide to slow play things since
forearm strains have been linked to UCL tears. Hopefully, this isn't a massive setback and he's able to get back to his rehab assignment in a minimal amount of time. But both parties will likely be prudent so he doesn't suffer another long-term injury.

Because of that, it seems like Herz won't be back on an MLB mound until the second half of the season. He'll need to ramp back up following this setback, and that could cause him to restart his rehab assignment depending on how long he's shut down.

DJ Herz Still Seems Like Long-Term Piece in Washington

Washington Nationals pitcher DJ Herz | Orlando Ramirez-Imagn Images

The left-hander looked like he'd be a staple of this rotation for years to come when he debuted in 2024. While he ended with an ERA of 4.16 across 19 starts that season, he flashed some high-upside stuff when he struck out 106 batters across 88 2/3 innings pitched.

Following his Tommy John procedure, there were questions if he'd be the same type of pitcher as before since some who have undergone that surgery in the past have had a hard time returning to their past forms. But Herz looked sharp during his rehab assignment, as he allowed just one earned run on four hits across three outings and 7 2/3 innings. He also struck out 11 and walked none, which was a major positive .

Before suffering his setback, Herz stated that his stuff might be even better than it was prior to undergoing Tommy John surgery. So if that proves to be the case when he's back for the Nationals, then the 2019 eighth-round pick could be a featured part of this starting rotation for years to come.