Nationals Place Their Closer on Injured List, Recall Two Relievers From Minors
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Changes have continued to take place for the Washington Nationals and their pitching staff in the early going of this season.
With both the rotation and bullpen struggling, president of baseball operations Paul Toboni and manager Blake Butera have searched for answers that will give them at least a competent unit. That has resulted in some roster shuffling to start the campaign, as some arms have been demoted while others in the minors have been given a shot in the bigs.
Ahead of Sunday's finale against the Chicago White Sox, another bullpen shuffle took place for the Nationals. However, this time, it was partly due to an injury that took place.
Nationals Place Clayton Beeter on Injured List
In total, Washington made four roster moves. Following Saturday's contest, they announced that Andres Chaparro was sent back down to Triple-A Rochester. The corresponding moves weren't known at the time, but the Nationals announced on Sunday that Clayton Beeter was placed on the 15-day injured list with right forearm soreness and right-handed pitchers Paxton Schultz and Andre Granillo were recalled to backfill these openings on the MLB roster.
Beeter, who was used as the team's closer at times this year, had his ups and downs this season. While an ERA of 3.48 with nine strikeouts across 10 outings is solid, he also walked eight batters across 10 1/3 innings pitched and has gone 2-for-4 in save opportunities.
Still, losing Beeter for a period of time is not what Washington needed with their relief staff already having major issues. His placement on the 15-day IL is retroactive to April 23, so hopefully he's able to come back when he's first eligible to return so he can provide a boost to this bullpen unit.
Paxton Schultz, Andre Granillo Get Another Shot in Majors
In the meantime, Schultz and Granillo are back with the big league team and will try to solidify their spots on this relief staff. Both are returning after almost opposite levels of success during their first stints with the Nationals, as Schultz was one of the bright spots in the bullpen while Granillo struggled.
Schultz posted a 4.50 ERA across his five appearances in the majors this year. Over 8 1/3 innings pitched as a long reliever, he struck out seven and walked one. What will allow the righty to be a key part of this bullpen going forward is reducing his hits allowed. Schultz gave up a batting average against of .250 and allowed eight hits, so improving that could turn him into a real weapon.
As for Granillo, it was not a good showing for him across his five appearances. Not only did he have an ERA of 12.46 with six earned runs across 4 1/3 innings pitched, but he also only struck out one batter while he walked five.
Acquired this offseason in a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals, the 25-year-old was seen as someone who could be a major player in the Nationals' bullpen. However, he also struggled during his time with Triple-A Rochester, so it's not clear if he can become that for Washington this season.
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Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he worked at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad became the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continued to cover Penn State athletics. Currently, Brad is the Publisher for Washington Nationals On SI and covers multiple teams across the On SI network. He is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, where he and his co-host discuss topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai