Lester to rejoin club Monday, Jeffress released

Jon Lester is flying back to West Palm Beach, Fla., today and is expected to be back in Nationals camp Monday to resume his preparation for the season following successful surgery to remove his thyroid gland.

Manager Davey Martinez said the prognosis on Lester's thyroidectomy, performed Friday in New York, were "very encouraging" and the veteran left-hander should be fine to pick up where he left off upon leaving camp the middle of last week.

"He'll be with us tomorrow," Martinez said today during a Zoom session with reporters. "He's going to start getting back to his normal routine, and we'll try to get him on the mound as soon as we possibly can."

Martinez didn't put a firm timetable on Lester's return to the mound - in initially revealing the thyroid issue last Wednesday, the manager said he might be able to pitch again in roughly one week - but the expectation is that the 37-year-old can ramp up quickly and not fall much behind his rotation mates.

"He was throwing the ball really well before he left," Martinez said. "He threw a couple of live BPs and he felt good. Hopefully, this doesn't set him back too much. As soon as we deem he's ready to get back on the mound and throw a (bullpen session), I don't think he'll need much. But we'll see when he gets here. His arm feels great, his body feels great. It's just a matter of recovering now from this procedure."

The procedure, in which the butterfly-shaped thyroid gland is removed from the throat, typically is a simple one that doesn't require much recovery time. Patients generally suffer no long-term effects but need to take daily medication to replace the hormones the gland naturally produces.

Lester's case likely drew more initial concern because of his medical history: He was diagnosed with lymphoma in 2006 and underwent chemotherapy before famously returning to pitch for the Red Sox in July 2007 and help lead them to a World Series title that fall. He has since won two more titles: 2013 with the Red Sox and 2016 with the Cubs.

"I feel relieved that everything came out well," said Martinez, who was bench coach for three of Lester's six seasons in Chicago. "He's been through a lot, and I'm glad that this procedure went well. He's raring to come back and help us and compete. That's one thing I know about him: It crushes him when he's not with his teammates and just being out there, knowing he's a big part of our rotation. He just wants to be back and be back to normal and try to help us win games."

* Jeffress released
The Nationals have released Jeremy Jeffress only two weeks after signing the veteran reliever to a minor league deal.

"He was released for personnel reasons," general manager Mike Rizzo said in a statement conveyed through a club spokesman.

The 33-year-old right-hander signed a non-guaranteed contract Feb. 22 that would've paid him $1.25 million if he made the big league roster, with an opportunity to earn another $1.25 million in incentives.

Given his track record - a 3.08 ERA and 52 saves during an 11-year career, including a 1.54 ERA and eight saves last season for the Cubs - Jeffress appeared a good bet to make the opening day roster, provided he was healthy and performed well this spring.

He spent the last two weeks building up his arm and catching up to his teammates, and though he had not yet pitched in a Grapefruit League game, Martinez spoke positively about his progress as recently as three days ago.

"We'll see him fairly soon," the manager said Thursday. "Here's a guy that came to spring training, he's ready. The first time I saw him throw, he threw the ball really well. I asked him: 'Have you been throwing?' He said: 'Yeah, religiously.' But he looks great. I watched him throw yesterday; the ball was coming out really nice. So a couple more live BPs maybe, and then we'll get him in a game."

The Washington Post was first to report Jeffress' release this morning.