WASHINGTON -- Tanner Roark returned home to Atlanta on Sunday to be with his wife and family after the birth of their third child, but he is still expected to start the Nationals' home finale against the Marlins at 4:05 p.m. ET on Wednesday. Washington manager Dave Martinez acknowledged the team has a plan in place if he cannot.
Last week, Roark remained in Atlanta for a few extra days and had his start, which was initially scheduled for Saturday, pushed back to Wednesday.
"I'm going to talk to him here in a little while," Martinez said prior to Monday night's game against the Marlins. "We do have a game plan if he doesn't, but as of right now, we're assuming that he is."
Whenever Roark returns to the mound, it will be his final start of the 2018 season, his second straight with uneven results.
After a solid start to the year, Roark posted a 6.08 ERA in June and a 5.23 ERA in July before bouncing back with a 2.78 ERA in August. He struggled again at the start of this month with a 7.80 ERA in three starts.