Updates on Adon, Ruiz, Thomas, Harvey and Rainey

There was a lot of injury news from Friday, both from before the 8-2 victory over the Athletics and from afterward. Let’s take a look at some of the updates on those included parties.

First of all, the concern coming out of the win was Joan Adon’s early departure after only three innings. The young right-hander was dealing with command issues, which led to two runs in the first inning, and then walked off the field with manager Davey Martinez and head athletic trainer Paul Lessard after throwing some warm-up pitches before the fourth.

The good news after the game was that the ailment was only leg cramps. The bad news was that this was the second straight game he had experienced them and third time since July.

“He said he feels better,” Martinez said ahead of Saturday’s game during his meeting with the media. “We're gonna run some tests on him though and see why this is happening to him. Whether he's not getting enough fluids or (what). I talked to him today. He said he drinks a lot before the game. So we're going to figure it out before his next start. And hopefully, it's something that we can control. But today, he said he felt fine. I told him to just take it easy today and we'll get you going again tomorrow. Because he's definitely got to get on this routine.”

Adon expressed concern last night that the cramps came up so early in the game, whereas they didn’t happen until the sixth inning last week against the Reds. But Martinez said it could happen at any time with the amount Adon sweats during a start.

“He sweats a lot,” the skipper said. “So I think at any point it can happen, whether it's the second or third inning. You gotta remember, it happened in the sixth inning because he was running through the game fairly quickly. Yesterday, he had a tough time commanding the strike zone, so it happened in the fourth inning. But like I said, they're gonna take a look at him. They're gonna run some tests on him and see if we can prevent this from happening anymore.”

Martinez said assuming Adon can get back to being healthy and fully prepared, the plan is to keep him in the Nationals’ six-man rotation. But with the extra starter and Monday’s off-day, the Nats do have some leeway in how they structure the rotation in the near future.

“If we have to do something different, I think we'll be covered,” Martinez said. “But I would like to keep him on schedule. So like I said, we're gonna do some things with him and see if we can get this narrowed down, so that he can go out there and compete.”

Soon after Adon departed the game, catcher Keibert Ruiz took a tip-foul ball off his left kneecap, leaving him withering in pain behind home plate before remaining in the game. The switch-hitter is back in the lineup today, but Martinez wants to be careful with his starting catcher knowing how much of a physical toll it can be to play that position.

“Honestly, I worry a little bit about him because he gets hit quite a bit,” Martinez said. “But he is a tough kid and he understands that's part of his game. He's gonna get his bumps and bruises. … It's still a grueling position to play and to play every day. That's what I love about Keibert. He'll play every day if I put him in the lineup, and I have to force him to take days off. But he loves to play and he's getting a lot better back there.

“His overall game has gotten better and I love that. He's gonna be really good. And I always say, and I tell him all the time, 'Hey, you're gonna be an All-Star one day. Just keep progressing, keep playing hard. Be where your feet are, learn how to call the game, learn your framing. But he does a lot of things really well. I love the fact that every day I know I can count on him and put his name in the lineup.”

Lane Thomas, who also had to be checked on last night after getting hit by a pitch in the right wrist area, was originally back in today’s lineup but was then scratched 2 ½ hours before first pitch after Martinez had already spoken to the media.

The manager was concerned last night whether or not Thomas could swing a bat even though the right fielder remained in the game.

And finally, the two relievers who threw simulated innings yesterday afternoon reported back fine today.

Both Hunter Harvey (right elbow strain) and Tanner Rainey (Tommy John surgery) will be able to take the next steps in their respective rehabs, whether that’s another sim game or possibly a minor league rehab assignment.

“He felt fine,” Martinez said of Harvey. “He's gonna throw again tomorrow, and then we'll reevaluate him then. But he said he felt good.

“Rainey said he felt good. So I think he's scheduled to throw another sim game either Monday or Tuesday. If that goes well, then we're gonna talk about maybe sending somewhere.”