The Washington Nationals have placed reliever Hunter Harvey on the 15-day injured list with a right elbow strain, the team announced Monday.
Left-handed starter Patrick Corbin has been removed from the paternity list and will replace Harvey on the active roster. Right-hander Joan Adon has also been optioned to Triple-A Rochester, while left-hander Joe La Sorsa has been recalled in his place.
Reports of Harvey's injury first surfaced Sunday evening, labeling it as forearm soreness. The right-hander flew back to Washington, DC, for an MRI while the rest of the Nationals went out to Chicago for an upcoming road series against the Cubs.
Harvey was 3-4 with a 3.12 ERA, 0.992 WHIP and 10.0 strikeouts per nine innings through 39 appearances in 2023. The last time Harvey took the mound was Friday against the St. Louis Cardinals, closing out the Nationals' 7-5 victory with his ninth save of the year.
Since Jun 21, Harvey had a 0.93 ERA and 0.621 WHIP with six saves and 10 strikeouts. Washington was 9-1 in those games, improving to 28-11 when Harvey pitches this season.
The Baltimore Orioles drafted Harvey out of Brandys High School (NC) in 2013, then called him up to the majors for the first time in 2019. Harvey pitched 23.2 innings across 26 games from 2019 to 2021, going 1-2 with a 3.42 ERA and 1.182 WHIP.
Harvey had two stints on the injured list in 2021, going down with an oblique strain and right lat strain at different points of the year.
The San Francisco Giants claimed Harvey off of waivers in November 2021, only for the team to designate him for assignment the following March. The Nationals claimed Harvey not long after, but he wound up on the injured list with a forearm strain in April 2022.
After he returned in July, Harvey put up career numbers. Harvey finished the 2022 campaign with a 2.52 ERA, 1.144 WHIP and 10.3 strikeouts per nine innings across 38 games.
Harvey had remained healthy over the past 12 months, going 5-5 with a 2.82 ERA in 77 appearances with the Nationals. His 39 appearances out of the bullpen in 2023 were the most by any Washington pitcher thus far.
Carl Edwards Jr. and Thaddeus Ward were two righty relievers who were already on the Nationals' 15-day injured list before Harvey joined them. Manager Dave Martinez is now down to a small handful of reliable bullpen options, as Kyle Finnegan, Mason Thompson and Jordan Weems are the only healthy relievers with ERAs under 5.00 and more than 6.0 innings pitched on the season.
The 37-56 Nationals will open up their three-game road series with the Cubs on Monday, with first pitch scheduled for 8:05 p.m. ET.
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