Nationals' Sean Doolittle: Moving affiliates on rehab
Rotowire
Doolittle (elbow) had his rehab assignment transferred Tuesday from High-A Wilmington to Low-A Fredericksburg, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
This is not a demotion, as Zuckerman notes, but merely a case of Doolittle moving around between the Nationals' lower-level minor-league affiliates and pitching for whichever team has a string of home games. He should eventually rise to Triple-A Rochester to complete his rehab stint. The veteran lefty reliever required surgery last July to repair a partial tear of the UCL in his left elbow.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Sean Doolittle: Kicks off rehab assignment
Rotowire
Doolittle (elbow) began a rehab assignment at High-A Wilmington on Saturday and struck out two while allowing one hit in a scoreless inning of relief.
The rehab appearance was Doolittle's first in a competitive game since April 2022, as the veteran southpaw had been shut down with an elbow injury before ultimately undergoing surgery last July. According to Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com, Doolittle's fastball was clocked at around 92 miles per hour, just a tick below his average from the early part of the 2022 season (93.4 mph). He's scheduled to make his next rehab appearance Tuesday and will likely make several appearances in the minors before the Nationals entertain a potential promotion. Doolittle re-signed with Washington on a minor-league deal in the offseason, so he currently resides on Triple-A Rochester's 7-day injured list and doesn't count toward the Nationals' 40-man roster.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Sean Doolittle: Throwing on back-to-back days
Rotowire
Doolittle (elbow) has begun pitching on back-to-back days at the Nationals' spring training complex in Florida, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Doolittle has been sitting in the 88-92 mph range with his fastball, per Zuckerman, which is actually a marked improvement over where he was a month ago when he first started throwing off a mound. The veteran southpaw could soon be cleared for a minor-league rehab assignment, though there remains no timetable for his return to the Nationals' bullpen. He required surgery last July to repair a partial tear of the UCL in his left elbow.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Sean Doolittle: Throws live batting practice
Rotowire
Doolittle (elbow) threw live batting practice Tuesday at the Nationals' spring training complex, Jessica Camerato of MLB.com reports.
Doolittle got up to around 20 pitches and Nationals manager Dave Martinez relayed the veteran reliever reported feeling "really good." He appears on track to begin a minor-league rehab assignment before the end of April and could then possibly join the Nats sometime in early-to-mid May. Granted, the timeline has been pushed back quite frequently. Doolittle is recovering from surgery last July to repair a partial tear of the UCL in his left elbow.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Sean Doolittle: Advances to mound work
Rotowire
Doolittle (elbow) has begun throwing bullpen sessions, Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reports.
The hope is that Doolittle can advance to live batting practice sessions sometime next week and begin a minor-league rehab assignment soon after. He's on track to join the Nationals' bullpen around late April or early May, and is coming off surgery last July to repair a partial tear of the UCL in his left elbow.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Sean Doolittle: Not cleared for mound work
Rotowire
Doolittle (elbow) had yet to be cleared for mound work as of Thursday, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Doolittle has been throwing on flat ground, but it will remain difficult to map out a timetable for his 2023 debut until he begins throwing bullpen sessions. The veteran reliever now seems likely to miss all of April as he recovers from surgery last July to repair a partially torn UCL in his left elbow.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Sean Doolittle: To rehab at spring complex
Rotowire
Doolittle (elbow) is remaining at the Nationals' spring training complex in Florida to continue his rehab, per MLB.com.
Doolittle is nearing the end of his recovery from surgery last July to repair a partially torn UCL in his left elbow, but he still has some hurdles to clear. The hope is that the veteran reliever can join the Nats as a high-leverage option sometime before the end of April. He might be in line for save opportunities if his health cooperates, though Kyle Finnegan projects to handle the bulk of the ninth-inning duties.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Sean Doolittle: High-leverage option when healthy
Rotowire
Doolittle (elbow) still hasn't seen Grapefruit League action this spring and won't be ready for Opening Day, but he could be the Nationals' top left-handed option in the bullpen when healthy, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.
The veteran southpaw doesn't have a lot of competition for that role left in camp, with journeyman Anthony Banda and minor-leaguers Jose Ferrer and Matt Cronin the only left-handed relievers remaining. Ferrer in particular has been seeing work against big-league hitters early in spring games and could open the season on the 26-man roster, but he has yet to pitch above Double-A in his career. Doolittle is in the final stages of his recovery from UCL surgery performed last July, and while the 36-year-old is no longer the pitcher who racked up 78 saves in 2017-19, if he finds himself as the only lefty in the Nationals' bullpen he would be in line for high-leverage work and potentially even some matchup-dependent save chances.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Sean Doolittle: Slowing down rehab program
Rotowire
Doolittle (elbow) is no longer expected to be ready for Opening Day, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Doolittle hasn't experienced a physical setback in his recovery from July 2022 surgery to address a partially torn UCL in his left elbow, but the Nationals recently decided to slow down his rehab program in an effort to avoid any such hiccups. "Obviously making the Opening Day roster was a goal. But the biggest goal is getting back healthy, and you can't put a timeline on that at this point," the veteran reliever said Tuesday. "Let's be smart about it."
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Sean Doolittle: Cleared for spring
Rotowire
Doolittle (elbow) said Friday that he'll be a full participant when pitchers and catchers report to spring training in two weeks, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports. "I'm not limited in any way right now," said Doolittle, who underwent an internal brace procedure in July to address a partially torn UCL in his left elbow.
Though Doolittle turned 36 years old in September and is returning from a relatively unproven arm procedure, he's apparently responded well to his five-month rehab program and has since completed 11 bullpen sessions while gradually increasing the intensity of his throwing. The Nationals opted to bring back Doolittle on a minor-league deal in November, and the veteran lefty should have a good chance at breaking camp with a spot on the 40-man roster and 28-man active roster if he avoids any setbacks during the Grapefruit League slate. Before injuring his elbow, Doolittle was in the midst of a strong start to the 2022 campaign, as he had yet to allow a run and put just one runner on base while striking out six over 5.1 frames.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Sean Doolittle: Back with Washington
Rotowire
Doolittle (elbow) signed a minor-league contract with the Nationals on Sunday that includes an invitation to major-league spring training, Dan Kolko of MASN Sports reports.
As Kolko notes, this contract will allow Doolittle to remain with the organization while rehabbing from UCL surgery, a procedure he underwent in July. The surgery carries a 5-to-6-month timetable for recovery, so if all goes well, he could be back on the bump in time for spring training.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Sean Doolittle: Undergoing season-ending surgery
Rotowire
Doolittle (elbow) will have an internal brace procedure to repair his UCL tear, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Doolittle began a throwing program in early June but suffered a setback in his rehab recently. The southpaw will be shut down for the remainder of the season due to the surgery, but the procedure carries a recovery timetable of 5-6 months, so he's expected to be ready to return in time for spring training in 2023. The southpaw made six relief appearances for the Nationals this year and picked up two holds while tossing 5.1 scoreless innings.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Sean Doolittle: Suffers setback in rehab
Rotowire
Nationals manager Dave Martinez said Thursday that Doolittle will visit a doctor after experiencing soreness in his left elbow during a recent bullpen session, Matt Weyrich of NBC Sports Washington reports.
Doolittle initiated his throwing program about five weeks ago after initially landing on the injured list April 20 with a left elbow sprain, so it's somewhat troubling that he's experienced a setback without having even resumed facing hitters at this point in his rehab. The upcoming checkup with the doctor should provide more clarity on Doolittle's next steps, but even if he isn't shut down from throwing, he's unlikely to make it back from the IL until August.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Sean Doolittle: Throws 15 pitches Thursday
Rotowire
Doolittle (elbow) threw 15 pitches during a bullpen session Thursday, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.
Thursday's throwing session marked the first time that Doolittle had thrown a bullpen since landing on the injured list April 20. Although he exclusively threw fastballs, it was an encouraging step for the southpaw, who plans to throw another bullpen Sunday or Monday.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Sean Doolittle: Bullpen session on tap Thursday
Rotowire
Doolittle (elbow) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Thursday for the first time since landing on the injured list April 20, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Doolittle has already missed six weeks with the left elbow sprain and won't be eligible to return until after the All-Star break after being transferred to the 60-day IL in early May. Before succumbing to the injury, the veteran southpaw had been off to a strong start to the season while filling a setup role in the Washington bullpen. Over his six appearances, he gathered two holds and struck out six while allowing just one baserunner in 5.1 innings.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Sean Doolittle: Throwing from 75 feet
Rotowire
Doolittle (elbow) has been throwing from 75 feet recently, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.
Doolittle was cleared to begin a throwing program this week and has progressed well in his rehab after receiving a PRP injection in late April. The southpaw still needs to increase his intensity, so he's likely several weeks away from returning to game action.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Sean Doolittle: Starts throwing program
Rotowire
Doolittle (elbow) recently resumed playing catch and is throwing long toss, Jessica Camerato of MLB.com reports.
The veteran left-hander was shut down from throwing for six weeks after receiving a PRP injection in late April, but he's been cleared to resume throwing. Doolittle will need some time to build him arm strength back up before returning to mound work, so he's likely still at least a few weeks away from being ready for game action.
The Nationals transferred Doolittle (elbow) from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Wednesday, Jessica Camerato of MLB.com reports.
The transaction clears a spot on the 40-man roster for waiver pickup Cory Abbott while ensuring that Doolittle is sidelined for the foreseeable future after news of his left elbow sprain first surfaced following his April 19 appearance against the Diamondbacks. According to Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post, Doolittle received a PRP injection last week and will be shut down from throwing for the next six weeks, so he'll likely be sidelined through the All-Star break.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Sean Doolittle: Not yet throwing
Rotowire
Manager Dave Martinez said Wednesday that Doolittle (elbow) hasn't yet been cleared to resume throwing, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Doolittle has been on the injured list for a week and has been cleared to resume workouts, but he'll presumably require more than a minimal stay on the IL since he isn't yet throwing. A better timetable for the southpaw's return to game action is unlikely to be revealed until he begins a throwing program.
