Lester still waiting for decision, Soto still waiting to throw

The Nationals haven't yet figured out their pitching plans for the weekend. And it doesn't appear they will until they've decided if Jon Lester truly is ready to make his long-awaited season debut.

Lester, who opened the season on the COVID-19 injured list, has made three rehab starts at the club's alternate training site in Fredericksburg. On Sunday, he threw 90 pitches over six innings, which would typically be as much as a pitcher needed before he was activated.

And the Nats may indeed determine that's enough and plug Lester into their rotation to start either Friday or Saturday against the Marlins at Nationals Park. But they haven't made that decision yet, and likely won't until they get a report on the left-hander's 20-to-30 pitch bullpen session scheduled to take place today.

"We want to make sure that he's fully ready," manager Davey Martinez said from Dunedin, Fla., during his pregame Zoom session with reporters. "With that being said, who knows? He might pitch this weekend for us or he might get another (rehab) start. We'll determine that probably today after the game or tomorrow."

Most pitchers seemingly wouldn't need any more time to build their arms up, but the Nationals are being especially careful with Lester given all he's been through. The 37-year-old, signed over the winter for a guaranteed $5 million, had to leave spring training in early March to have a parathyroid gland removed from his neck. He returned to camp healthy, but that procedure delayed his typical ramp-up before the start of the season.

Then Lester learned he was one of nine Nationals players who either tested positive for COVID-19 or was deemed a close contact to a teammate who did, and that again delayed his season debut. He is the last remaining member of that group of players to be added back to the active roster.

What more does the club need to know before deeming Lester good to go?

"I just want to make sure he's completely healthy," Martinez said. "That's all it is as of right now. He threw six innings, but he's only done it once. And we want to make sure he rebounds right now fully."

The Nationals' schedule, with only eight scheduled games in 12 days and two more off-days coming up Thursday and Monday, affords them the luxury of being overly cautious with Lester. They could continue to proceed with a four-man rotation all the way up until May 8 if they want, even with Stephen Strasburg also on the IL due to shoulder inflammation.

For now, Martinez will only say that Max Scherzer will start Sunday's series finale against the Marlins. The Friday and Saturday starters have yet to be determined from a pool of three candidates: Lester, Joe Ross and Patrick Corbin.

* Juan Soto, out since April 20 with a left shoulder strain, is eligible to come off the IL on Friday, but time is running out for the slugger to show he's ready to return.

Though he's been able to hit with no issues, Soto has yet to attempt to throw (which is how he first realized he was injured in the first place). Once he does start that process, it could be several days before he's deemed ready to be activated.

Martinez said Soto would first play catch in the outfield to test the shoulder out. If he feels fine the day after, he could be cleared to start throwing to bases. And once he proves to be fine doing that, he could return to game action.

"The good thing is, he's not a pitcher. He's an outfielder," Martinez said. "He doesn't have to make that many throws per game. And the thing I want to reiterate with him is: As long as you throw the ball to the cutoff man, we'll be in good shape. Don't try to overdo it right now until we build that arm strength up."