Harris to have thoracic outlet surgery, Robles rehabs in Bowie

For 2 1/2 months, the Nationals and Will Harris hoped they could find a reason for the swelling that would occur in his hand sometimes when he pitched, and hoped there was a way to continue to pitch while treating the mysterious ailment.

Now, though, they finally have a concrete answer, and a course of action: Harris has been diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome and later this week will undergo surgery that is likely to end the right-hander's season.

"I spoke to him for a while yesterday, and I think it's the right thing to do at this point," manager Davey Martinez said during his Zoom session with reporters before today's series finale against the Brewers. "He tried to pitch for us, and the hand-swelling thing, it was frustrating to him. I told him, 'If it was me, I'd go ahead and have the surgery, but it's your decision.' And he chose to do that."

The TOS diagnosis comes after a frustrating few months in which Harris continued to experience swelling in his right hand while pitching but could not find any concrete answers for the ailment. A West Palm Beach, Fla., doctor initially diagnosed him with a blood clot in his arm in mid-March. He then traveled to St. Louis to be examined by a noted specialist, who found neither a blood clot nor the TOS that was also suspected at the time.

Harris was cleared to rejoin the Nationals, and he worked to build his arm back up and ultimately join the active roster in early May. He would proceed to make eight relief appearances, giving up runs in four of them. When he couldn't retire any of the three batters he faced in his last outing, the team decided to place him back on the 10-day injured list and seek answers.

The answer finally came this week from another specialist in Dallas, who made a firm diagnosis of TOS. The syndrome, in which blood vessels or nerves in the space between the collarbone and first rib become compressed, is not particularly common but has plagued a handful of major league pitchers in recent years. Among the notable names who have suffered from it are Matt Harvey, Chris Young, Tyson Ross, Phil Hughes, Chris Carpenter and Chris Archer. Recovery time tends to be at least three months.

"They actually saw it this time," Martinez said. "The first time, they didn't. The first time they thought they were dealing with maybe a blood clot. They looked for thoracic outlet, they didn't see anything. This time it was definitive what they saw. And they said that was the cause, that he had an impingement, and he wasn't getting any circulation when he was pitching. There was definitely some clarity in what they saw. ...

"He's at a good place. Even though he wishes he was pitching, at least he knows what it is and they can go in and fix it."

Signed prior to the 2020 season for three years and $24 million, Harris has made only 28 appearances for the Nationals, posting a 4.56 ERA and 1.690 WHIP that are a far cry from the 2.36 ERA and 0.987 WHIP he compiled the previous five years with the Astros.

The 36-year-old reliever spoke about what a serious injury like TOS might mean for his career when he was activated off the IL earlier this month.

"I'm not in the beginning of my career, let's say," he said. "So getting a thoracic outlet diagnosis there was not good. And I thought maybe, wow, 2021 may be over. And who knows how I'm going to come out of that. Moving past that has definitely been a blessing. And I'm excited that I'm here on May 4, ready to pitch in a big league game. It definitely didn't look like that in March."

* Victor Robles is making a rehab appearance for Double-A Harrisburg this afternoon in Bowie, his first game action since going on the 10-day IL with a sprained right ankle.

Robles led off for the Senators, serving as designated hitter, though there was a thought he might be able to play center field if the weather conditions were favorable. He doubled in his first at-bat.

"If he can down there and get some work in and DH and get his at-bats, he feels good enough to do that," Martinez said. "If everything goes well, he'll DH today and then we'll evaluate him tomorrow."

Robles is eligible to come off the IL today, but Martinez said he prefers the 24-year-old get at least some action in the field before he rejoins the active roster. So it appears that won't happen as soon as Monday, when the Nationals open a road trip in Atlanta.

* The MRI on Luis García's right hamstring this morning came back negative, so the injury that forced the 21-year-old infielder to depart Saturday afternoon's game appears to have been nothing more than a cramp. García was out on the field prior to today's game running agility drills.

* Erick Fedde threw four innings and 65 pitches in a simulated game Saturday, building his arm up slightly more than expected. Martinez suggested the right-hander, who has been on the COVID-19 IL since testing positive 11 days ago, could be ready to rejoin the rotation now. The Nationals need a starter for Wednesday's game in Atlanta, and their five current rotation members would all be pitching on short rest to make that outing because of Saturday's doubleheader.