PHOENIX – Left-hander Roenis Elias and infielder Howie Kendrick each sustained leg cramps on Friday, but the Nationals may have avoided long-term issues with both players.

Before Saturday’s game against the D-backs, manager Dave Martinez said he spoke with Elias, who was feeling better after he exited Friday’s win with a cramp in the back of his right leg.

“He’s going in, he’s getting treatment. We’re going to monitor him and see how he feels. But he said he felt OK,” Martinez said. “He wasn’t limping like he was [Friday] night, so that’s a good sign.”

Martinez added that he believes Elias will get an MRI on Saturday as standard protocol for that type of injury.

“We treated it as a cramp,” Martinez said. “But then again, we’re going to really figure out how he is after [Saturday].”

After being traded from the Mariners at the Trade Deadline, Elias made his Nats debut on Friday by retiring both batters he faced in the sixth inning. With Kendrick out and a short bench, Martinez opted to have Elias bat in the seventh, with the idea being the southpaw would return to the mound in the bottom of the inning.

Elias was told not to swing, but he hit a grounder to second base and cramped up while running down the line to first base.

“Being an athlete, you’re a competitor out there, I figured I’d try to put the ball in play,” Elias said through an interpreter. “Once I saw the ball, I thought it was a good chance for me to beat it out. And if it wasn’t for me [cramping], there was a good chance I could have made it to first base.”

As for Kendrick, Martinez said he wants to be cautious with the infielder, who was running in the outfield on Saturday afternoon.

Kendrick was a late scratch on Friday when he had a leg cramp about 10 minutes before the start of the game. He was then out of the lineup for Saturday's game.

“I want to wait and see how he feels after he does everything,” Martinez said. “We’ll just have to monitor him. He’s had a history with hamstring issues, so I want to make sure he’s good.”