The Washington Nationals returned from rehab assignment and reinstated right-handed pitcher Shawn Kelley on Thursday and placed right-handed pitcher Ryan Madson on the 10-day disabled list (retroactive to Aug. 14) with a right finger sprain. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement.
Kelley, 33, returns to the Nationals after missing 51 games with a right trapezius strain. The veteran late-inning reliever made eight rehab appearances with Triple-A Syracuse, pitching to a 1-1 record with an 8.10 ERA. Kelley had allowed just one earned run in his last five appearances with Triple-A, and struck out 12.2 batters per nine innings during the entirety of his rehab assignment (9 SO/6.2 IP).
A stalwart in the Nationals' NL East Division-championship bullpen in 2016, Kelley ranked second in strikeouts-to-walks ratio among all National League relievers in 2016 (7.27) and ranked four in strikeouts-per-9.0 innings (12.4). This season, Kelley is 3-2 with four saves, one hold and a 7.00 ERA in 22 Major League games.
Madson, 36, visits the disabled list for the first time since 2013. Acquired from the Oakland Athletics, along with left-hander Sean Doolittle, on July 16, Madson has yet to allow a run during his Nationals tenure. The hard-throwing right-hander has appeared in nine games and picked up two wins and five holds. He has allowed five hits in 9.0 innings of work, walked one and struck out 13. His 0.77 WHIP this season ranks sixth among all Major League relievers.