Four players activated, Corbin could start Saturday

The Nationals will have four of their previously ineligible players in uniform and available for today's series opener at Dodger Stadium, and they could have their No. 3 starter back on the mound for Saturday night's game.

Alex Avila, Patrick Corbin, Yan Gomes, Brad Hand and Jordy Mercer all cleared their COVID-19 protocols and flew on a charter from Washington to Los Angeles this morning, manager Davey Martinez revealed during his pregame Zoom session with reporters. All but Corbin have been activated and are available to play today, though Martinez said he'll try to avoid using them unless necessary to give them time to ease back in following their layoff.

"I appreciate the fact they all wanted to be here as soon as possible," Martinez said. "But, yeah, we've got to be smart. They just flew across the country. We want to make sure they're hydrated and get a little rested. They're all available maybe late on to play if need be, but to start them, for me, wouldn't be a good idea."

The Nationals learned Thursday those five players had been cleared to return and arranged a charter flight for them early this morning to ensure they wouldn't be subject to another round of intake testing (and the delay that comes with it) had they flown commercially.

Corbin was on the flight, though he has not been activated yet because he wouldn't have been playing today regardless. But the left-hander is working out at Dodger Stadium and could be activated in time to start Saturday night.

"He said he feels good," Martinez said. "He's been throwing. But we don't know to what extent. We'll see. He's going to get some workouts in today; he's going to throw (on) flat ground. We'll see how he feels. ... He thinks that he can (pitch). I just want to put eyes on him and see where he's at, and talk to the training staff."

If Corbin can't take the mound Saturday, the Nationals would likely need to start Austin Voth instead. Max Scherzer is scheduled to pitch Sunday on normal rest, his second outing of the young season.

Five of the nine players who were ineligible for opening day either because they tested positive for COVID-19 or were deemed close contacts to someone else who did have been cleared. The other four - Josh Bell, Kyle Schwarber, Jon Lester, Josh Harrison - remain quarantined in Washington for now.

"They still have not cleared protocols," Martinez said. "My biggest thing with them is the concern of their health. As I said before, I've talked to them. They feel fine. They're good. They're doing some kind of working out on their own, because they can't do anything else. As soon as they clear protocol, we'll go from there."