Nationals catcher Matt Wieters had a choice to make after playing in a rehab game with Class A Potomac on Tuesday: return to Potomac to play in a game scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Wednesday or have the big league club activate him from the disabled list.
“I chose activated,” he said.
So Wieters was back with Washington on Wednesday. He’ll make his first start Thursday since going on the DL on April 2 with a strained oblique. Wieters hasn’t played since March 31 in Cincinnati, where he began the season 1 for 7 with two walks.
He caught eight innings for Potomac and went 1 for 4 at the plate. Most importantly, the oblique wasn’t a problem.
“We felt the oblique was part of it, but really a minor part of it,” Wieters said. “I think it was more getting everything in line and getting the hips and getting the ribs lined up to where it would get everything in the right position and that’s why we were kind of optimistic from the get-go that 10 days would be enough.”
Pedro Severino played well in Wieters’s absence, to the point the Nationals chose to keep him on the roster over Miguel Montero, who was designated for assignment Wednesday. Severino is 8 for 23 (.348) in eight games and pitchers have complimented his work behind the plate. Wieters said he hasn’t been told how the club plans to divide playing time between the two catchers.
“With the injury that Matt had, I want to be careful with him,” Nationals Manager Dave Martinez said. “So we’ll find places to give days off and let Sevy — Sevy’s done great so I want to keep him going as well. So he’ll get an opportunity to play.”
Wieters will bat seventh, one spot ahead of the pitcher Gio Gonzalez and two spots behind Matt Adams, who will make his first start in left field as a National. A natural first baseman, Adams first played left field with the Cardinals and Braves last season. starting 18 games there.
The decision comes after Brian Goodwin exited Wednesday’s loss to the Braves with a sore left wrist after diving for a ball in left field.
“If you look at [Gio Gonzalez’s] record, he’s a groundball guy so I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to put him out there in left field,” Martinez said. “He hit a home run yesterday. He’s been swinging the bat well. So give him a shot and let him go out there and play.”
— Jeremy Hellickson was scheduled to make his third start in extended spring training in Florida. Where the veteran right-hander will go next is unclear. When asked if Hellickson, who was signed late in spring training presumably to eventually become Washington’s fifth starter, needs to pitch somewhere in the minors before joining the Nationals, Martinez indicated he doesn’t.
“We’ll see what happens today and we’ll reevaluate,” Martinez said. “I think once we get him up to 100 pitches, I think he’s good. I really do.”
[Was A.J. Cole’s bounce-back start enough to hold off Jeremy Hellickson?]
Hellickson, 30, threw 69 pitches over six innings in his previous outing. When he does join Washington, it’ll be to take A.J. Cole’s spot in the rotation. Cole made a case for himself on Wednesday, limiting the Braves to two runs over 5 1/3 innings.
— Martinez reported that Koda Glover has started throwing in Florida and is stretched out to 75 feet. Glover, 24, reported to spring training with a sore shoulder and was placed on the disabled list immediately. He was transferred to the 60-day DL on March 29.
While Glover has progressed to tossing, Martinez said Joaquin Benoit hasn’t started a throwing program. The 40-year-old Benoit was signed less than a week after Glover was shut down, but was shut down himself with a forearm strain in March. He’s on the 10-day disabled list.
ROCKIES (6-7)
D.J. LeMahieu 2B
Chris Iannetta C
Nolan Arenado 3B
Trevor Story SS
Ian Desmond CF
Carlos Gonzalez RF
Pat Valaika 1B
Gerardo Parra LF
Chad Bettis RHP
NATIONALS (6-6)
Trea Turner SS
Anthony Rendon 3B
Bryce Harper RF
Ryan Zimmerman 1B
Matt Adams LF
Howie Kendrick 2B
Matt Wieters C
Gio Gonzalez LHP
Michael A. Taylor CF
