Harper has minor surgery for ingrown toenail (Nats win 6-2)

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Bryce Harper had a minor surgical procedure Wednesday to remove an ingrown toenail, something the Nationals expect will allow their star right fielder to return to the field ASAP.

Harper had to be scratched from Wednesday's lineup against the Marlins after he informed manager Davey Martinez of his ailment. He wouldn't have been able to play today against the Braves, either, but he wasn't scheduled to make the long, 2 1/2-hour trip to Lake Buena Vista anyway.

Everything has now been taken care of, though, and the club doesn't expect this ailment to linger.

"I think he's fine," Martinez said. "He did have a little minor surgery to take the nail out, but he's doing good. He texted me last night and said he's feeling good."

This isn't the first time Harper has dealt with this type of problem. He needed a similar procedure to remove an ingrown toenail in May 2013 and wound up missing two regular season games as a result.

The Nationals are still deciding whether Harper will return for Friday's game against the Mets or Saturday's game against the Astros.

"He wants to play tomorrow, but we'll see," Martinez said. "I would like to push him back another day. After (today's) game, we'll see how he's feeling."

The blister on Matt Adams' foot, meanwhile, has nearly healed, and the first baseman is on the verge of returning to action.

"He should be back either tomorrow or the next day," Martinez said. "The blister is looking good. I'm glad he took a couple days off. You don't ever want that to get infected."

Meanwhile, the Nationals announced they've agreed to terms with all 24 of their pre-arbitration players on 2018 contracts, meaning everyone on the 40-man roster is now signed for the upcoming season.

Those 24 players, who all have fewer than three years of big league service time, earn one-year contracts with salaries at or slightly above the league minimum ($545,000). The list includes: Austin L. Adams, Rafael Bautista, A.J. Cole, Wilmer Difo, Erick Fedde, Koda Glover, Brian Goodwin, Trevor Gott, Matt Grace, Kelvin Gutierrez, José Marmolejos, Raudy Read, Matt Reynolds, Victor Robles, Jefry Rodriguez, Enny Romero, Joe Ross, Adrian Sanchez, Pedro Severino, Sammy Solís, Andrew Stevenson, Wander Suero, Trea Turner and Austin Voth.

Update: A.J. Cole's first opportunity to make his case for the No. 5 starter's job came and went without much incident. The right-hander tossed two scoreless innings, though he labored during a bottom of the first that saw him throw a first-pitch strike to only one of the five batters he faced. Cole got better in his second inning, starting off all four batters with a strike and showing a sharp breaking ball. Overall, Cole allowed two hits and a walk, striking out three while throwing 22 of 34 pitches for strikes.

Austin Voth replaced Cole on the mound in the bottom of the third, and though the right-hander did not give up much hard contact, the Braves were able to find plenty of holes. Voth allowed four singles in the inning, with two of those runners coming around to score. The Nationals trail 2-0 after three.

Update II: The bats finally came alive in the top of the fifth. The Nats wound up scoring four runs, thanks in part to a double by José Marmolejos, an RBI bloop single by Kelvin Gutierrez and a two-run single up the middle by Spencer Kieboom. Kieboom now has four RBIs on the spring, tops on the club. Nats lead 4-2 in the fifth.

Update III: Andrew Stevenson has extended the Nationals' lead to 6-2 after six innings. Stevenson drilled a two-run double into the right field corner off reliever Peter Moylan, who you may remember as the Braves sidearm righty who gave up Ryan Zimmerman's walk-off homer in the first-ever game at Nationals Park 10 years ago.

Update IV: The Nationals win 6-2.