Rogers stays on roster, Parra placed on IL

Josh Rogers is going to get another chance to pitch for the Nationals. Gerardo Parra may not get another chance to play for them.

The club decided to keep Rogers on the active roster following his impressive debut Saturday night as a fill-in starter for a doubleheader split with the Mets, and manager Davey Martinez said the left-hander is likely to going to make at least one more start.

In order to keep Rogers on the roster, though, the Nationals placed Parra on the 10-day injured list with right knee inflammation. It's the same knee Parra had arthroscopic surgery on last fall after playing in Japan, and it prevented him from starting this season on time.

"I talked to Parra and told him: 'Why don't we just give this thing some rest, and see how you feel in 10 days?' He agreed," Martinez said in his pregame Zoom session with reporters. "He said he just couldn't stay on his legs very good hitting. So he's going to give it some rest and then we'll see how he feels when he comes back."

Parra hasn't appeared in the field since Aug. 7, and he's 2-for-11 with three walks and five strikeouts as a pinch-hitter since. He struck out both Friday night and Saturday afternoon with a chance to win the game in extra innings.

A cult hero for his performances off the bench and popularity in the clubhouse during the Nationals' 2019 World Series run, Parra hasn't been able to duplicate the magic this season. Though he doubled and scored in his 2021 debut on June 20, he's batting just .232 with a .288 on-base percentage, two homers, 10 RBIs and a .636 OPS over 105 total plate appearances.

Fans continue to adore Parra and participate in the "Baby Shark" walk-up song when he comes up to bat, but with only four weeks to go in the season and the Nats committed to a rebuild, it's possible he took his final at-bat for the club Saturday.

"I don't know what his future is," Martinez acknowledged. "I talked to him a little bit, and I know he thinks he wants to play another year. And I always tell him: 'If you feel that way, don't give up that uniform. Don't let them take it off you.'

"We'll see how he feels. I would love for him to come back and still have the opportunity to finish up strong here. He meant a lot to this organization over the years, as we all know. But we'll see how he feels in 10 days or so."

Rogers, meanwhile, earned a chance to stick around on the pitching staff after tossing 5 1/3 innings of three-run ball during Saturday night's 4-3 victory over the Mets. The 27-year-old left-hander, signed to a minor league contract this summer after getting released by the Orioles, was credited with his second career big league win. He became the first Nationals starter to earn a win in his debut for the team since Ross Ohlendorf in 2013, according to radio broadcaster Dave Jageler.

The Nats haven't announced their rotation plans beyond Monday's series finale with the Mets yet, but Martinez suggested Rogers will get a chance to make another start. Sean Nolin, Paolo Espino, Erick Fedde and Patrick Corbin would all be candidates to be replaced in the rotation at this point.

"I've got a few days to sit down and map things out," Martinez said. "But I watched some of (Rogers' start) this morning. I loved his tempo. He was on the mound ready to go every pitch. He was engaged. And it was a lot of fun to see somebody work that fast. We'll see what happens. I foresee him starting again, getting another start next time out. But we'll see how he feels today, and we'll go from there."