Rendon rehabs in Bowie, MLB amends rule though Turner remains with Padres

Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon (knee) played second base for Double-A Harrisburg Friday night, batting second and going 0-for-2 with a walk. This was a good sign to see him finally return to his rehab schedule after a couple of days off. With the team playing in Bowie, Rendon could finish up with two more games this weekend and then rejoin the Nationals on Monday when they return home to host the Marlins and start a six-game homestand.

More on the Senators later in this blog.

* Triple-A Syracuse left fielder Jason Martinson smacked another home run last night as the Chiefs won 3-2 over Columbus. He has four homers on the season, and two in his last three games. Martinson has gone 5-for-12 at the plate those last three contests.

He is hitting .292 with two doubles, one triple, four homers and 10 RBIs in 20 games.

Martinson played his fourth game in left field, and sixth in the outfield this season for the Chiefs. He has played seven games at shortstop and five at third base. He is another 2010 drafted player and pretty much looks like he could slot into a utility role for the Nationals this year or next.

Bruce Billings went 5 2/3 innings and allowed two runs with six strikeouts. Rich Hill got the win and Evan Meek his third save.

* Shortstop Trea Turner - the player to be named in an offseason deal who remainsd with the Padres, his original club - is doing well for Double-A San Antonio. Turner is hitting .284 with six doubles, a homer and six RBIs in 19 games.

Major League Baseball finally amended one of its most curious rules and will now allow first-round picks to traded after the World Series, instead of having to wait until the first anniversary of the date they signed their first professional contract. That will mean no player in the future will find himself property of one organization after he's been traded to another, as has been the situation with Turner.

This doesn't help Turner, who cannot join the Nats until the June 6 anniversary date of his signing, but really it should. He should be grandfathered in and be able to play for the Nationals now, since he was included in the three-team deal with the Padres and Rays that sent Steven Souza Jr. to Tampa Bay and Wil Myers to San Diego.

It doesn't make much sense to have him play out this last month and a half with a team that drafted him but will no longer hold his rights. They are playing him at a spot in the lineup and position the Nationals have requested, but it is an uncomfortable marriage to have a star prospect playing in a lame duck setup with a team that has decided to trade him.

It really is a testament to the professionalism this 21-year-old from N.C. State is demonstrating that it has worked out so well to this point. It just doesn't make any sense when Souza is starting for the Rays and Myers has played 24 games for San Diego. Get Turner over here already so he can advance in the system he was traded to be in. What if he gets injured while still playing for San Antonio? It is a nightmare scenario very few want to imagine.

* The other shortstop in the news is top prospect Wilmer Difo, who moved from high Single-A Potomac to Double-A Harrisburg this week. Difo doubled and scored a run in his Harrisburg debut Friday, as the Senators edged Bowie 2-1.

Difo went 1-for-3 and is a likely pairing with Turner in the future at second base for the Nationals. His fielding percentage is a bit better at second base (.971) then shortstop (.938), although he has played 270 games at short and only 92 at second base. With Rendon at third base, that would be a nice infield set for the future.

Matt Skole cranked a solo shot in that game for his third homer of the season. Pedro Severino maintained his .321 average with another double.

Starter Joe Ross (1-1), who was also acquired in that Turner trade, went six innings allowing only one run on eight hits, with one walk and five strikeouts. It marked his first win in the Nationals organization.