Schwarber sits to rest sore knee, Sunday's starter is TBD

When Kyle Schwarber walked into Davey Martinez's office this morning in Atlanta, the Nationals left fielder told his manager his right knee was still sore after a hard landing while attempting to make a diving catch Wednesday night.

Martinez told Schwarber he wouldn't be starting this afternoon's series finale against the Braves, but to get treatment on his knee, and then if he thinks he can pinch-hit later in the game, to let him know.

"I couldn't even get the words out," Martinez relayed during his pregame Zoom session with reporters. "He said: 'I'm pinch-hitting if you need me.' "

We'll see if Schwarber ultimately is available to pinch-hit this afternoon, or if he's even needed, but he won't be playing left field in this game due to an ailment the Nationals don't have reason to believe right now is anything serious.

"It's just a sore knee," Martinez said. "We want to be cautious."

Schwarber hurt himself trying to make a diving catch of Abraham Almonte's double down the left field line, slamming onto the warning track hard and then getting twisted around a bit. Once the play was over and he got to his feet, he began to walk toward the dugout with a noticeable limp and was replaced in the field by Andrew Stevenson.

"He hit that ground pretty hard, and it locked up on him," Martinez said. "He said he didn't feel like he could run. That's why he took himself out of the game. He left here walking pretty normal. He came in this morning, I talked to him for a minute. He said he's still a little tender, a little sore. So we just opted not to play him today."

With Schwarber sitting this afternoon and left-hander Tucker Davidson starting for the Braves, Martinez opted to move Josh Harrison to left field and start Jordy Mercer (the only other right-handed bat on his bench) at second base. Both of the Nationals' true backup outfielders (Stevenson and Yadiel Hernandez) bat left-handed.

Martinez said depending on how the game plays out, he could wind up inserting one of those true outfielders later on and shift Harrison back to his usual position at second base.

* Sunday's starter in Philadelphia remains undecided, but Martinez said the Nationals may elect to treat it as a bullpen game.

With Stephen Strasburg on the 10-day injured list with nerve irritation in his neck, the Nats are in need of a fill-in starter. Erick Fedde ultimately will take his place in the rotation, but the timing doesn't work out for the right-hander to start Sunday.

Fedde, on the COVID-19 IL, is making a rehab start tonight for Single-A Wilmington, building himself up to five innings and perhaps 90 pitches. He could ultimately be part of a group of relievers that pitches Sunday, though he wouldn't be able to provide a full-length start on only two days' rest.

The Nationals have Patrick Corbin starting today in Atlanta, then Max Scherzer and Joe Ross starting the next two nights in Philadelphia. If those three are able to provide enough quality innings, the bullpen could be fresh enough to handle the full game Sunday. If not, the Nats may need to call someone up from Triple-A Rochester.