Law lands on IL with elbow strain, plus other bullpen roster moves

PHILADELPHIA – The Nationals figured they were going to need bullpen help after seven relievers combined to cover almost 10 innings over the last two games. They just didn’t figure an injury would also creep up on one of their most trusted relief pitchers.

Right-hander Derek Law landed on the 15-day injured list this afternoon with a right elbow flexor strain, while left-hander Robert Garcia was placed on the bereavement list. To fill their spots in the ‘pen, the Nats selected the contract of left-hander Joe La Sorsa and recalled right-hander Joan Adon from Triple-A Rochester.

Law’s injury comes after he pitched an important scoreless eighth inning last night on 12 pitches to give the Nats a chance to rally in the ninth. The right-hander said he was supposed to go back out for the ninth of a newly tied game, but he and the Nationals decided it wasn’t a good idea with his elbow bothering him, leading to closer Kyle Finnegan coming in and surrendering the game-winning run without recording an out.

“Well, personally, I don't think it's really an injury. I feel pretty good,” Law said by his locker in the Nats clubhouse before tonight’s game. “Like today, I feel like I could throw. It's just kind of when I get up to the max-effort level for the last two weeks, I kinda have been grinding through it.

“The elbow has just been kind of barking. I think it's the flexor area. Honestly, it kind of came up during that rain game. When I was throwing, it was just soaking wet. I kind of felt something in there and I was just battling through it for a little bit. And finally, it just caught up yesterday. I was supposed to go back out for that ninth and I came in, not that there was no way I could do it, but I just didn't think it was the right decision to go back out there and do that. So I think just a little time off. Sadly, it has to be 15 days. I think I probably only need five or six, maybe seven. But I'll take my time, get right and be back in September.”

That rainy game on Aug. 8 against the Giants – which included over two hours of rain delays – also caused shortstop CJ Abrams’ upper back to stiffen up and miss the next three games against the Angels. Now its lingering effects have sidelined Law.

“Hopefully, he'll be OK,” said manager Davey Martinez. “We'll go back, take him on Monday to go get an MRI, and we'll see what's going on. But hopefully it's OK. Very optimistic about what's gonna happen next. But like I said, we hope that we get him back soon.”

Law is 7-2 with a 2.85 ERA and 61 strikeouts in 61 games this year. Garcia is 2-4 with a 4.80 ERA and 58 strikeouts in 56 games this season.

Now the Nationals will look to La Sorsa and Adon (who the Nats are now using exclusively as a reliever) to help cover some of those innings.

“With Robert being gone, I definitely want another lefty up here, and Joe was throwing the ball well,” Martinez said. “Adon's been up here. He's starting to pitch better out of the bullpen. He's starting to learn his routine. So I want to give him an opportunity to come up here and see what we got.”

La Sorsa, who was a 2023 waiver claim from the Rays, went 2-2 with a 2.25 ERA in 56 innings for Rochester. He went 1-0 with a 4.76 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 28 ⅓ innings over 23 games with the Nats last year.

“Very excited and very happy about it,” La Sorsa said of rejoining the Nats. “I'm being given a great opportunity right now, and I hope I can just do everything in my power to just help the team win.”

To help him this season – and hopefully now help the Nats – the left-hander has improved his approach against right-handed hitters by adding a four-seam up-and-in cutter. La Sorsa allowed a .269 batting average to righties in the minors last year and a .275 average against them in the majors. He’s brought that down to .241 so far this year with Rochester.

“Coming into spring training, the team definitely had an approach for me to attack lefties and righties. And I think how I've been handling righties has been helping me out a lot this year,” La Sorsa said. “The season's definitely been tough because up there, it's very cold in the beginning, it's really hard to throw. But as the weather got a little bit better and everyone started to settle in a little bit more, I definitely found a groove. I started to get really comfortable and just pitching towards my strength and my game. Just kind of getting on a good roll and good things have been happening.”