Washington optioned Thompson to Triple-A Rochester on Wednesday.
This move clears out a 28-man roster spot for Jackson Rutledge, who is making his major-league debut in a start Wednesday at Pittsburgh. Thompson, 25, has struggled to a 5.50 ERA, 1.56 WHIP and 44:22 K:BB in 54 innings of relief this season with the Nationals.
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Nationals' Mason Thompson: Returns from injured list
Rotowire
Thompson (knee) was reinstated from the 15-day injured list Sunday, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.
Thompson landed on the injured list Aug. 5 with a left knee contusion, but he's ready to rejoin the Nationals after a one-outing rehab assignment. The right-hander has 10 holds while working as part of the bridge to the late innings for the Nationals, but he has a 4.56 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 40:19 K:BB across 47.1 innings.
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Nationals' Mason Thompson: Cleared for rehab assignment
Rotowire
Thompson (knee) will head to Double-A Harrisburg later this week to begin a rehab assignment, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.
Thompson has been on the injured list since Aug. 5 due to a left knee contusion, so he'll likely require only one or two tune-up outings in the minors before getting cleared to rejoin the Nationals' bullpen. Though he's been one of the team's top setup options this season, he had struggled throughout July (9.00 ERA, 2.13 WHIP in eight innings) prior to landing on the shelf.
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Nationals' Mason Thompson: Throws simulated game
Rotowire
Thompson (knee) threw 25 pitches in a simulated appearance Tuesday, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.
That could be the final step before he is cleared to head out on a minor-league rehab assignment. Thompson had posted a 4.56 ERA and 40:19 K:BB through 47.1 innings of relief this season with the Nationals before he landed on the 15-day injured in early August due to a left knee contusion.
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Nationals' Mason Thompson: Lands on injured list
Rotowire
Thompson was placed on the 15-day injured list Saturday with a left knee contusion, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Thompson hasn't pitched in a game since July 31, so it's unclear when exactly he suffered the injury. Saturday's starting pitcher, Joan Adon, was recalled from Triple-A Rochester in a corresponding move.
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Nationals' Mason Thompson: Nabs ninth hold
Rotowire
Thompson gave up two hits and struck out one in 1.1 scoreless innings to record his ninth hold of the season in Monday's win over the Cubs.
With Hunter Harvey (elbow) landing on the IL, Kyle Finnegan shifted back into the closer role for the Nationals, and it looks like Thompson will get the first chance to handle primary setup duties. The right-hander has a 1.72 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 14:8 K:BB through 15.2 innings since the beginning of June and has collected eight of his holds during that stretch, so he figures to continue seeing fairly high-leverage usage even after Harvey returns.
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Nationals' Mason Thompson: Notches third hold
Rotowire
Thompson gave up two hits and struck out two in a scoreless sixth inning Friday to record his third hold of the season in a loss to Atlanta.
The 25-year-old right-hander looked like he might be in line for significant high-leverage usage early in the season, but instead Thompson has fallen apart, posting a 7.62 ERA, 2.08 WHIP and 9:9 K:BB through 13 innings since the beginning of May. If he can find some consistency, however, there should be plenty of opportunities for Thompson and his mid-90s sinker to move up the ladder in a Nationals bullpen that doesn't have any truly dominant late-inning arms.
Nationals' Mason Thompson: Strikes out four in victory
Rotowire
Thompson (2-1) earned the win in Saturday's 10-4 win over the Twins. He allowed one unearned run on two hits in relief without issuing a walk and striking out four over 2.1 innings.
Thompson allowed the one run after an error on a throw by Riley Adams, but it was another impressive outing for the reliever. He threw 27 of 35 pitches for strikes while earning the win, and Thompson's been able to go more than inning in six of his nine appearances while lowering his ERA to a minuscule 1.15 over 15.2 frames. Thompson's current role doesn't carry much fantasy relevance, but the 25-year-old could earn save opportunities for the Nationals if his strong play continues into the summer months, though he has only one hold so far.
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Nationals' Mason Thompson: Collects win Sunday
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Thompson (1-1) gave up one hit in a scoreless eighth inning Sunday to record the win against the Guardians. He didn't walk or strike out a batter.
The right-hander entered the game with the Nationals down 6-5, and after needing only 13 pitches (eight strikes) to retire the side, Thompson was rewarded with his first win when Washington plated two in the bottom of the frame. Thompson has been one of the better arms in the team's bullpen to begin the season, posting a 1.59 ERA and 8:1 K:BB through 11.1 innings, and he appears to be working his way into a high-leverage role.
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Nationals' Mason Thompson: Looks good to begin campaign
Rotowire
Thompson gave up one hit and struck out three over two scoreless innings of relief in an Opening Day loss to Atlanta.
The 25-year-old righty entered the game in the sixth inning with the Nationals down 4-2 and fanned Austin Riley and Michael Harris to keep things close for the home squad. Thompson's role is fairly undefined to begin the season -- starter Patrick Corbin couldn't complete four innings Thursday, taxing the Washington bullpen right out of the gate -- but if he keeps getting the job done, he could work his way into a high-leverage role.
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Nationals' Mason Thompson: Could land high-leverage role
Rotowire
Thompson could see high-leverage work for the Nationals this season, potentially even in the ninth inning with manager Dave Martinez suggesting he'll use Kyle Finnegan as a fireman and not a traditional closer, Bobby Blanco of MASN reports.
Finnegan still seems likely to see the majority of save chances for the Nationals this season, but there could be saves up for grabs if the right-hander gets the call earlier in games in tight situations. Thompson would be just one of many candidates who could benefit, with Hunter Harvey, Alex Colome, Sean Doolittle (elbow) and Carl Edwards also in the mix depending on matchups and performance. Thompson hasn't hurt his chances this spring, posting a 3:0 K:BB through 3.1 innings, but he'll need to up his strikeout rate to become a key member of the Nats bullpen after managing just a 15:9 K:BB through 24.2 big-league innings in 2022.
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Nationals' Mason Thompson: Secures three-inning save
Rotowire
Thompson allowed one hit over three shutout innings against the Cardinals on Monday. He struck out one and earned a save.
Thompson hadn't pitched more than an inning in any MLB appearance this season but he had no trouble working through the final three frames of Monday's victory. He's now sporting a 0.75 ERA through 12 innings with Washington this season. Thompson picked up his first save of the year Monday and shouldn't be expected to see many more opportunities down the stretch.
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Nationals' Mason Thompson: Returns to majors
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The Nationals recalled Thompson from Triple-A Rochester on Thursday, Jessica Camerato of MLB.com reports.
Thompson is back for his third stint of the season with the Nationals. Over his previous nine appearances out of the bullpen with the big club, Thompson has looked sharp while accruing a 1.13 WHIP and 1.00 WHIP across eight innings.
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Nationals' Mason Thompson: Optioned to Triple-A
Rotowire
Thompson was optioned to Triple-A Rochester on Wednesday, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
After appearing in two games since being called up Sunday, Thompson was sent back down to Triple-A in order to free up a spot for Jake McGee. Over the course of his brief stints in the majors this season, he's turned in an impressive 1.13 ERA and 1.00 WHIP over eight innings of work. It seems to be only a matter of time before the 24-year-old righty gets a long-term promotion to the big-league club.
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Nationals' Mason Thompson: Gets call from minors
Rotowire
The Nationals recalled Thompson from Triple-A Rochester ahead of Sunday's game in Philadelphia, Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reports.
He'll be joining the Washington bullpen as a replacement for Jordan Weems, who was optioned after giving up three earned runs over 2.1 innings of long relief in Saturday's 11-5 loss. Thompson has previously made seven appearances for Washington this season, striking out four over six scoreless innings.
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Nationals' Mason Thompson: Sent to Triple-A
Rotowire
Thompson was optioned to Triple-A Rochester by the Nationals on Thursday.
The right-hander was activated from the injured list July 1 after missing nearly three months with a biceps injury, and he'll head to the minors despite giving up only one hit over six scoreless innings this season. Thompson should rejoin the bullpen mix for the Nationals before too long.
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Nationals' Mason Thompson: Activated from IL
Rotowire
Thompson (biceps) is back with the Nationals and will be activated from the 60-day injured list Friday, Matt Weyrich of NBC Sports Washington reports.
Thompson will rejoin the team ahead of their series with the Marlins, making his return from a biceps injury that has sidelined him since April 10. The reliever has pitched one scoreless inning this season, walking two batters while striking out three. He'll initially operate in low-leverage situations.
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Nationals' Mason Thompson: Kicks off rehab assignment
Rotowire
Thompson (biceps) struck out two and allowed one hit and no walks over a scoreless inning in his rehab appearance Monday for the Nationals' rookie-level Florida Complex League affiliate.
Thompson has been on the shelf since April 10 with left biceps tendinitis, so he's expected to require several appearances in the minors before the Nationals are comfortable reinstating him from the 60-day injured list. Between stops with Washington and San Diego in 2021, Thompson generated a 4.01 ERA, 1.91 WHIP and 23:15 K:BB across 24.2 innings out of the bullpen.
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Nationals' Mason Thompson: Throws live BP
Rotowire
Thompson (biceps) threw live batting practice Saturday, Jessica Camerato of MLB.com reports.
He had been throwing bullpen sessions and continues advancing in his throwing progression. Thompson could soon go on a rehab assignment.
