Robles nearing rehab assignment, Gray throws from 90 feet

MIAMI – The Nationals are looking to turn the page after getting swept at home this week by the Dodgers. They arrived in Miami for four games against the Marlins as their usual up-beat bunch.

The Nats had more reasons to be happy upon arriving at loanDepot park than their three-game losing streak might suggest, as they got encouraging news about some their injured players.

Victor Robles, on the 10-day injured list since April 4 with a left hamstring strain, is nearing a minor league rehab assignment and should be ready to head out sometime next week.

“He sprinted up to about 90 percent yesterday,” manager Davey Martinez said before tonight’s series opener. “He's running the bases and did some defensive work, so he's getting close. Hopefully by the end of this weekend or next week, we can get him out on rehab assignment.”

Robles was hitless in four games to start the year, but did post a .600 on-base percentage by drawing three walks in five plate appearances while also stealing two bases and scoring two runs. This comes on the heels of a 2023 campaign in which he was limited to just 36 games by injuries.

The Nats will continue building him up over the next couple of days before deciding when to send him to his minor league rehab.

“He's ramping up pretty good now. He's feeling pretty good,” Martinez said. “Like I said, he did some defensive work. We're going to do some stuff with him as far as stop-and-gos to make sure that he's good to go before we send him out and start playing. It's going to, probably, take him some time. He's gonna have to go out there and maybe play four or five innings the first outing, and build himself up to play nine innings. But when we get there, we'll see how he does. But he's done really well. He's done everything we've asked him to do, so he's checking all the boxes right now.”

Josiah Gray is progressing as well, though he’s still a little further away from his own minor league rehab assignment.

The 26-year-old right-hander has been on the 15-day IL since April 9, retroactive to April 6, with a right elbow/forearm flexor strain. And although he’s technically eligible to come off the injured list, he only just started throwing from 90 feet yesterday.

“Josiah Gray threw 90 feet yesterday, so he's progressing well,” Martinez said.

“He's gonna have to throw a few bullpens and really get built up before we send him back out. Like I said, I'm gonna make sure we take our time with him so that this doesn't go backwards on us. We want to take our time, build him up slowly. And then as soon as he's ready, we'll send him out on (a rehab assignment). I don't know if it's going to take that many starts down there. But we're gonna keep a close eye on him and build him up here.”

Martinez and pitching coach Jim Hickey will keep a close eye on Gray’s upcoming bullpens before making a final decision on next steps.

“I would just want to see his mechanics. I want to see what his direction is. We get so much information, analytically, on where he's at with his head, his feet, everything. So I want to make sure that everything is put together, he's gathered himself really well, and then we'll go from there.”

While taking a look analytically, Martinez will also keep in mind what his eyes see and what Gray says about how he feels.

“We're gonna look at all of it,” he said. “And like I said, I usually tend to talk to the players as well, but we're going to make sure that he's good.”

Nick Senzel remains with the team after being a late scratch from yesterday’s lineup with a stomach illness. Martinez said the third baseman is feeling better today and is available off the bench.

“Senzel feels better today, which is good,” said the skipper. “So now he's gonna do some baseball stuff today, get him back on his feet, and he'll be available to come off the bench.”

Meanwhile, Lane Thomas remains in D.C. to begin rehabbing his left MCL sprain.

“He just stayed,” Martinez said. “We kept them back so he could just start rehab. We're just gonna have to build him up slowly. Hopefully, get the swelling out of his knee as quick as possible and then get some strength back there.”

And just like he did last year, Cade Cavalli has joined the team in Miami while continuing his rehab from Tommy John surgery at the team’s spring training facility in West Palm Beach. The big right-hander threw a bullpen session today at loanDepot park, hitting 96 mph with his fastball and incorporating a new sinker.

Cavalli says he’s on track to start a minor league rehab assignment in mid-May and be “fully back” in a month and a half.

“It's awesome. He threw really well,” Martinez said of Cavalli’s bullpen today. “I talked to Hickey. He said the ball’s coming out really well. So I wanted to get him here. He's really close, he's been in West Palm. So to get him here and get him with the guys and watch him throw a bullpen was good. And it's good for him, too, because he's put a tremendous amount of work in. He's done great. And we're getting closer. So I'm excited about his progress. I know that somewhere along the line, whether it's towards the middle or the end of this summer, he'll be on the mound for us if everything goes well. So we're excited about that.”

I’ll have more from Cavalli himself tomorrow morning.