WASHINGTON -- Daniel Hudson had a frank conversation last year with Nationals manager Dave Martinez when he was acquired by Washington in late July.

“He came to my office and he said, 'Can I talk to you?'” Martinez recounted on Sunday. “I said, 'Yeah, you can always talk to me.' He says, 'I don't like closing games. I don't like pitching in the ninth inning.'”

Martinez had other ideas for the veteran right-hander.

“I said, 'Oh wow, that's funny.' I said, 'Guess what? You're going to pitch in the ninth inning,'” Martinez said. “I said, 'It'll be just like any other inning. You'll get one out, then you'll get the second out, then you'll get the third out and don't worry about what inning it is.' He started laughing and just looked at me and said, 'OK.'"

That talk paid off. Three months later, Hudson was on the mound to record the final outs of the first title in franchise history.

“He's one of those quiet, intense guys,” Martinez said. “He doesn't show a whole lot of emotion, even though he fired his glove at 150 miles an hour when we won the World Series.”

Martinez’s opinion of Hudson late in the game hasn’t changed this season. In fact, the 33-year-old has stood out to him in the final frame. Hudson has yet to allow a run in three outings this season, and he has given up just one hit with five strikeouts over 3 2/3 frames.

“I like him in the ninth inning,” Martinez said.

The Nationals bullpen has been bit by the injury bug early in the season, with reliever Will Harris placed on the 10-day IL on Friday (retroactive to Wednesday) with a strained right groin. Tanner Rainey has emerged as a late-inning option alongside Hudson and Sean Doolittle. Martinez tries to give Hudson a heads up as much as possible when he is going to be the one to pitch in the ninth, and he likes his mindset to get it done.

“He just goes out there and he does his job,” Martinez said. “He mixes his pitches up really well. He knows how to pitch up in the zone. He's out there to get outs, and that's how I want him to act."

Strasburg throws ‘pen

Stephen Strasburg threw a 31-pitch bullpen on Sunday as he works his way back from a nerve issue in his right hand. He is slated to throw another session on Wednesday. The Nationals will leave it up to Strasburg if he wants to face live batters, at which point they could organize a sim game.

“We want to make sure that everything's in sync and nothing goes awry with his mechanics,” Martinez said. “Today, he looked good. [Pitching coach] Paul [Menhart] was out there, the training staff was out there. We watched him and he threw the ball really well. Everything was as normal. He didn't make any adjustments to compensate for his wrist, so he looked good. And he let it go today, which was nice. We'll see how he feels tomorrow and we'll get him back out on Wednesday and go from there.”

Odds and ends

Martinez said Juan Soto “felt good” after he re-joined the Nationals on Saturday. He took at-bats in their intrasquad scrimmage on Sunday, and he is expected to take batting practice and run the bases in the team’s workout on Monday. Martinez hopes to have him in the lineup this week for his first game of the season since coming off the COVID-19 IL, but no date has been set. … Howie Kendrick (upper back stiffness) is expected to return to the lineup this week … Eric Thames (back stiffness) is day-to-day and told Martinez he felt better on Sunday. “Hopefully, he’ll be ready to play on Tuesday,” Martinez said.