Jonathan Papelbon to begin rehab Monday at Potomac

By Mark Zuckerman

Nationals

June 26, 2016, 6:20pm

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Jonathan Papelbon's return to the Nationals bullpen may only be a handful of days away.

Papelbon will begin a rehab assignment with high Single-A Potomac on Monday night, the minor league affiliate announced, suggesting the injured closer is nearly ready to come back from a strained ribcage muscle.

Jonathan Papelbon white.png Out since June 13 with what officially is considered a strained right intercostal muscle, Papelbon traveled with the Nationals throughout their just-completed road trip and had been playing catch and receiving treatment. He threw a 40-pitch bullpen session on Saturday.

Though he never offered any firm timetable for his return, he suggested he was progressing in an expedited manner.

Monday will be Papelbon's 15th day on the disabled list, so he's eligible to be activated as soon as Tuesday. It would be highly unconventional for a team to make that roster move after only one rehab appearance, but a reliever who hasn't missed much time and has been throwing while injured typically wouldn't need as much time on rehab as other pitchers.

Papelbon has no experience with this, having never spent a day on the DL prior to suffering this injury.

Regardless of his return date, the Nationals happily will welcome Papelbon back. Their bullpen has struggled at times in his absence, with setup man Shawn Kelley forced to take over closer duties while others have been pressed into setup roles. Nationals relievers have a 3.97 ERA and three blown saves since Papelbon landed on the DL.