Nationals' Derek Law: Undergoing season-ending surgery
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Law (forearm) has a partial tear of his right flexor tendon and will undergo season-ending surgery to repair it, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Law is shooting for a mid-season return in 2026, as he'll undergo a procedure to repair a torn flexor tendon in his throwing arm. The 33-year-old had already been sidelined for the entirety of the campaign with forearm inflammation. He will be a free agent at the conclusion of the 2025 season.
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Nationals' Derek Law: Moves to 60-day IL
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The Nationals transferred Law (forearm) to the 60-day injured list Saturday.
Law has been on the injured list all season due to forearm inflammation, so his move to the 60-day IL doesn't affect his return timeline and is simply a way to clear a 40-man spot for the newly activated Mason Thompson (elbow). Law restarted his rehab assignment Wednesday after being shut down with renewed forearm soreness and will likely require a few more appearances in the minors before returning to Washington.
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Nationals' Derek Law: Resumes rehab assignement
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Law (forearm) resumed his rehab assignment Wednesday, logging a scoreless inning for Triple-A Rochester, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Law reported a recurrence of arm soreness last week but he was only shut down for a brief period before getting back into game action. This was Law's first scoreless appearance in four rehab outings. He has not pitched at all in the majors this year, so he may need a few more appearances before he's ready to be activated.
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Nationals' Derek Law: Shut down from throwing
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Law has been shut down from throwing this weekend after experiencing soreness in his right forearm, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Law reported the soreness after his last rehab outing with Triple-A Rochester on Wednesday. He'll attempt to throw again Tuesday and could be cleared to pitch again next Wednesday barring any setbacks. Law has appeared in three games during his rehab assignment and has allowed six runs on eight hits and one walk while striking out one batter across 3.2 innings.
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Nationals' Derek Law: Rehab shifting to Triple-A
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Law (forearm) will have his rehab assignment moved from Double-A Harrisburg to Triple-A Rochester on Wednesday, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
The veteran reliever has given up three runs on four hits and a walk in 2.2 innings over two appearances for Harrisburg, but he built up to 33 pitches in his latest outing Sunday. Law, who has yet to pitch for Washington this season due to a forearm issue that cropped up in the spring, is on track to join the big-league bullpen by early July, and he could slot into a setup role in front of closer Kyle Finnegan.
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Nationals' Derek Law: Ready for rehab assignment
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Law (forearm) will begin a rehab assignment Thursday at Double-A Harrisburg.
Law has been on the shelf all season while recovering from right forearm inflammation and is likely to require several appearances in the minors before the Nationals activate him from the 15-day injured list. The 34-year-old righty was a key piece in the Washington bullpen in 2024, collecting seven wins, 17 holds and one save while logging a 2.60 ERA and 1.18 WHIP in 90 innings over 75 appearances.
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Nationals' Derek Law: Poised for mound work
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Law (forearm) is slated to throw off a mound before the end of this week, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
It will be the first time he's thrown off the bump since he experienced a setback with his right forearm strain during spring training. Law will eventually require some rehab appearances, but it's unclear when he might be ready for those.
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Nationals' Derek Law: Throwing on flat ground
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Nationals manager Dave Martinez said that Law (forearm) threw again from 60 feet on flat ground Monday, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.
Law finally appears to be trending in the right direction after battling a right forearm issue that's bothered him since late last season. He'll need to go out on a rehab assignment before being activated from the 15-day injured list and it's unclear when he might be ready for that.
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Nationals' Derek Law: Yet to begin throwing program
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Nationals manager Dave Martinez said Monday that Law (forearm) has yet to begin a throwing program, Spencer Nusbaum of The Washington Post reports.
Law dealt with an arm issue late last season and made just one appearance during spring training before landing on the injured list with right forearm inflammation. He remains in the strengthening phase of his rehab, and while Martinez admitted Monday to being "a little worried" Law still isn't throwing, he added that the reliever "is getting better, is getting stronger."
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Nationals' Derek Law: Placed on IL
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The Nationals placed Law on the 15-day injured list Wednesday with right forearm inflammation.
Complications from a late-season elbow injury in 2024 followed Law into spring training, though the Nationals are officially labeling his injury as a forearm issue. Either way, he'll now officially be sidelined through the first 15 days of the new season but isn't likely to need much more time than that to prepare for his 2025 debut.
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Nationals' Derek Law: Won't be ready for Opening Day
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Law (elbow) said Saturday that he doesn't believe he'll be ready for the start of the season, Spencer Nusbaum of The Washington Post reports.
Law has been brought along slowly this spring, as lingering issues from an elbow injury he suffered late last season have followed him into camp. The Nats still haven't decided whether to put him on the injured list, though that seems like the most likely outcome at this point. Once healthy, the 34-year-old righty will likely be used often out of the bullpen, as he's expressed interest in breaking the franchise record for most innings pitched by a reliever (93).
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Nationals' Derek Law: Taking aim at workload record
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Law has made it his goal to break the Nationals' franchise record for innings pitched in a season by a reliever, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports.
The 34-year-old right-hander handled 90 innings last season, the most by a Washington reliever in the regular season since Tyler Clippard in 2010 and just three frames shy of Saul Rivera's record, set in 2007. As a result of that elevated workload, Law has been brought along slowly in camp and pitched to batters for the first time Monday on a back field, tossing 30 pitches. There's still time for him to get in Grapefruit League action before Opening Day as he prepares for work as a setup man ahead of closer Kyle Finnegan -- in addition to his 90 innings in 2024 being a career high, Law's 17 holds were also a personal best.
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Nationals' Derek Law: Role not yet settled
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Law figures to be part of the Nationals' high-leverage crew this season, but it's not clear if he'll get a chance to audition for the open closer role.
Speaking to reporters earlier in camp, general manager Mike Rizzo indicated that Law would be a key bullpen piece for Washington, Jessica Camerato of MLB.com reports. "We don't have a proven commodity at that position, but if the season started today, we would have a guy that we would say would be our ninth-inning guy," Rizzo said. "I don't know who it is yet. It could be Jose Ferrer. It could be Jorge Lopez. Law could have some leverage innings. And it could come from somebody that we haven't thought about yet." The latter category might also include Lucas Sims, who signed with the team earlier this week. Law has mainly been a middle reliever during a big-league career that stretches back to 2016, but he is coming off one of his best statistical seasons, posting a 2.60 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 76:24 K:BB over 90 innings with career highs in appearances (75), wins (seven) and holds (17).
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Nationals' Derek Law: Receives $2.75 million
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The Nationals and Law avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $2.75 million contract Thursday, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.
Law was one of Washington's most reliable relievers in 2024, posting a 2.60 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 76:24 K:BB over 90 innings. He could be in the mix for saves in 2025 as things stand right now, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see the Nationals bring in a closer from outside the organization.
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Nationals' Derek Law: Activated from injured list
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The Nationals activated Law (elbow) from the 15-day injured list Monday, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.
Law has been shelved since mid-August with ulnar nerve irritation in his pitching elbow but recently faced hitters with no issues, clearing the way for his return. The veteran reliever will return to a middle-relief role for the Nationals.
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Nationals' Derek Law: MRI comes back clean
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The MRI on Law's right elbow revealed only ulnar nerve irritation, but he hasn't been cleared to throw yet, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Law was placed on the 15-day injured list Saturday with a strained right elbow, and Tuesday's MRI confirmed he isn't dealing with any structural damage. The 33-year-old took part in fielding drills Tuesday but hasn't been cleared to throw. A timeline for his return hasn't been announced.
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Nationals' Derek Law: Picks up first save
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Law threw a scoreless ninth inning to get his first save of the season in Thursday's 1-0 win over the Mets.
The Nationals' regular closer, Kyle Finnegan, had thrown in each of their last three games, which explains Law getting the save opportunity Thursday. The 33-year-old has been serviceable this season with a 3.18 ERA in 51 innings but doesn't offer much fantasy upside while primarily working as a middle reliever.
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Nationals' Derek Law: Records win Sunday
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Law (2-1) picked up the win in Sunday's comeback victory over the Marlins, pitching two scoreless innings and allowing two hits. He struck out three without walking a batter.
Patrick Corbin got chased after coughing up seven runs (four earned) in four innings, but Law steadied the ship in the fifth and sixth and watched the Nationals offense come to life, erasing a 7-0 deficit. The 33-year-old right-hander remains in a low-leverage role, but he's pitched reasonable well to begin the season with a 3.00 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 19:6 K:BB through 18 innings.
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Derek Law: Cut loose by Reds
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Law was non-tendered by Cincinnati on Friday.
Law posted a solid 3.60 ERA with 45 strikeouts over 55 innings this past year for the Reds, but they have opted to avoid paying him a raise in salary arbitration. The veteran reliever was projected to command around $1.4 million in 2024. He is now a free agent.
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Reds' Derek Law: Notches second save
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Law gave up two hits in a scoreless ninth inning Saturday to record his second save of the season in a 3-2 win over the Mets.
With Alexis Diaz having pitched three of the prior four days, Reds manager David Bell had to get creative to protect a late lead, and Fernando Cruz worked the seventh and eighth innings before handing the ball off to Law. The right-hander made things interesting, serving up singles to Daniel Vogelbach and Francisco Alvarez, but he got Pete Alonso to ground out to escape the jam. Law has been struggling lately, posting a 10.80 ERA and 2.52 WHIP over his last 10 appearances, and his last hold or save prior to Saturday came July 3, so he's unlikely to see regular high-leverage duty down the stretch.
