DJ Herz is getting a second opinion on his sprained elbow ligament, one that will determine if the Nationals left-hander needs Tommy John surgery or can attempt to come back merely with rest and rehab.
Herz, who was placed on the 15-day injured list Tuesday and then transferred to the 60-day IL on Wednesday, already had an initial MRI taken that revealed a sprain of the ulnar collateral ligament. He’s now scheduled to get a second opinion in Dallas from Keith Meister, the noted orthopedist who has performed a number of Tommy John surgeries and internal brace procedures on other major leaguers. According to a source familiar with the injury, the Nationals don’t intend to wait long if surgery is suggested, preferring Herz get it done now and be able to return for the majority of the 2026 season.
Herz was one of the brightest developments of last season, debuting in June and proceeding to make 19 big league starts, going 4-9 with a 4.6 ERA but also authoring several of the team’s most dominant starts of the year. He came to camp this spring competing with Mitchell Parker and Shinnosuke Ogasawara for the fifth starter’s job but struggled with command and saw his fastball velocity drop into the upper 80s.
Herz told club officials and reporters alike he was physically fine, but that he wasn’t throwing as hard due to a lack of adrenaline. He cited similar situations playing out in previous spring trainings, noting his velocity always showed up during the regular season.
The Nationals saw some better signs during a simulated game Herz pitched late in camp, but still decided to option the lefty to Triple-A Rochester last week, giving him more time to build his arm up. After learning of the demotion, Herz informed the team he wanted to see a doctor in case there actually was something wrong with his arm.
“It was new,” manager Davey Martinez said. “He didn’t say anything about it until we sent him down. We went through the process with him like we do every spring. We know from previous springs his velo always started out really down. He didn’t think any different. And then he said he wanted to get checked out, because it just didn’t feel right. And obviously he ended up on the IL.”
Now the Nationals face the possibility of losing Herz for the entire season, putting added stress on their Opening Day starting five as well as their other minor league alternatives.
“It stinks for him. It stinks for us, because we counted on DJ to be one of our guys this year,” Martinez said. “But he’ll be back. He’s young. I tell him all the time he’s got a big future still ahead of him. Let’s get it right, get healthy and let’s work towards getting back here.”
* Derek Law hasn’t been told yet when he’ll be cleared to start throwing again after opening the season on the 15-day IL, but the veteran reliever continues to believe he won’t need much time to return to the active roster.
“I feel great,” he said. “The process has just been giving it a little extra time and also building up strength so I can get to the point where I can recover well the day after throwing. I don’t really know quite yet, but as of now it feels pretty damn good.”
The Nationals purposely held Law back this spring, trying to conserve bullets to allow him the best chance of taking on a heavy workload during the season, just as he did last year when he totaled 90 innings pitched out of the bullpen. But after facing live hitters on a back field and then pitching in one Grapefruit League game, he noticed his arm wasn’t recovering as hoped. He hasn’t pitched since.
Though he was officially placed on the IL with right forearm inflammation, Law said he’s simply waiting for his arm to get into regular-season shape. He’s hopeful he can return once eligible April 8, though he’s willing to wait longer if needed.
“It sucks because you want to be able to pitch on Opening Day,” he said. “But it gives me time to figure out what was going on and strengthen a little more so I can be ready for the rest.”
In hindsight, would Law have done anything different this spring?
“Yes and no,” he said. “I think we were in a good spot. I think it was just a quick ramp-up, a little too quick with the ramp-up. But I also definitely needed that time. So it was just kind of a weird process with it all. I think it was a great time to do it. It just so happens the recovery wasn’t quite there, which I thought it would be.”