Weather throws wrench into Robles and Fedde's rehab plans

Victor Robles is eligible to come off the injured list Sunday, but with little opportunity to test his sprained right ankle on a wet field all weekend, the Nationals may need to wait a bit longer to activate their starting center fielder.

Robles was supposed to run the bases Friday, but the postponement of the series opener versus the Brewers shelved those plans. And with more on-and-off rain today as the two teams attempt to play a doubleheader, the Nationals won't take a chance with the 24-year-old on a wet field.

"Everything he does is going to be indoors," manager Davey Martinez said in his pregame Zoom session with reporters. "You can't really do anything in that rain, and we don't want him on the grass, where he (might) slip or something. He can do some agility stuff indoors. But hopefully it gets sunny one day here soon, so he'll go out there and run the bases."

Robles hurt himself May 19 rounding first base at Wrigley Field. The Nationals waited three days before deciding to place him on the 10-day IL, because they were still allowed to backdate the transaction three days. That makes him eligible to return Sunday.

The Nationals' only concern at this point appears to be Robles' ability to run.

"He's been hitting in the cage and he swung the bat well. Doesn't seem to bother him at all," Martinez said. "It's the running and the stopping short, the cutting, touching the bases, things of that nature. The outfield play. I want him to go through all his baseball drills as he would before a game, and then determine what we're going to do with him next."

The weather also has impacted Erick Fedde's attempt to get work in before he comes off the COVID-19 IL. The right-hander was due to make a rehab start today for Double-A Harrisburg at Bowie, but with the chance that game is rained out, the Nationals had the right-hander stay back in D.C.

Fedde was due to throw 50 pitches over three simulated innings in the bullpen at Nationals Park, per Martinez. That session didn't happen prior to today's doubleheader opener, but it may occur between games.