Nationals Reliever Derek Law To Miss Season After Flexor Tendon Surgery

The Washington Nationals have already been without Derek Law all season, and now it looks he won't pitch for them at all this year.

Law told reporters on Friday that he underwent surgery to repair a partial tear that he had in his flexor tendon, per Mark Zuckerman of MASN.

The 34-year-old hurler is expected to be out until around the middle of the 2026 season. His one-year deal with the Nationals ends after this season, meaning he will be a free agent when that time comes.

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Washington first brought in Law to contribute to their bullpen last year on a minor league deal, but he made the Opening Day roster and ended up pitching in 75 games.

He had a fantastic campaign that saw him post a 2.60 ERA with a 1.178 WHIP and 7.6 K/9. He forced a ton of bad contact with a lot of chases on his breaking pitches.

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Law could have ended up being a crucial piece to this year's squad since he has really been a solid reliever for much of his career and was their best bullpen arm in 2024.

The Nationals have had to make due without him this season and the results have not been great. Their bullpen ranks dead-last in MLB with a 5.88 staff ERA. Their right-handed pitchers in particular are even worse off with a 6.05 mark.

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Missing a consistent arm that almost contributed in half of their games last year certainly hurts.

They were almost a .500 team in the games he pitched in last season, going 37-38.

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