JUPITER, Fla. -- With about two weeks to go before the Nationals wrap up their Grapefruit League schedule, there is at least one and possibly two slots open in the club’s bullpen, Nationals manager Dave Martinez said Monday morning.

“We have guys with options, which is nice,” Martinez said. “We can be flexible. If you look at it on paper, people trying to figure it out, they may say, ‘Man maybe one,’ but there might be one or two. We’ll see.”

Assuming the Nationals carry seven relievers to start the season, Sean Doolittle, Trevor Rosenthal, Kyle Barraclough and Matt Grace are all locks to make the Opening Day bullpen if healthy. Martinez said last week a healthy Justin Miller will also be a part of that bullpen and although Miller had been battling a back injury recently, he reported no issues after returning to the mound Sunday. Those five spots are almost certainly secure.

Right-hander Wander Suero should be the favorite to grab one spot after he posted a 3.59 ERA in 40 games as a rookie with 47 strikeouts and 8.9 strikeouts per nine innings. He does have options, however, so the Nationals could option him to start the season if they want the extra roster spot. But Martinez always speaks fondly of Suero, especially considering his ability to get both righties and lefties out.

Koda Glover would have likely had the claim to one of those bullpen spots before he suffered a right forearm strain in his first outing of the spring. He is still shut down from baseball activity, and Martinez reiterated Monday the club is going to remain cautious with him considering his lengthy injury history.

The Nationals parted with left-hander Sammy Solis this weekend after nine years in the organization, a little more than three months after they tendered him a contract before the arbitration deadline. After such a long career with the organization, the Nats wanted to give Solis a chance to prove himself after a tough 2018 season (6.41 ERA in 56 appearances). They did not see signs that gave them confidence in a bounce back this spring, however, so they decided to move on.

One of the areas the Nationals grew most frustrated with Solis was his inability to consistently retire left-handers, so perhaps his departure could pave the way for another left-hander to make the bullpen. Martinez has insisted they will take the best reliever regardless of which hand he throws with, but on Monday he raved about veteran lefty Vidal Nuno, a non-roster invitee, who had success in a short stint with the Rays last season (1.64 ERA in 33 innings). Nuno has also had much more success in his career against lefties (.689 OPS) versus righties (.797 OPS).

“What I like about him, he’s got a little funk to him,” Martinez said. “His ball all of a sudden comes out of nowhere and is on top of you. For a left-handed hitter facing a lefty, that’s pretty tough. I stood behind him one day without him noticing just to see … his ball cuts late. And his slider is late. He elevates the fastball, and he has a two-seamer. All of his movement is late and for a left-handed hitter, it’s tough to decide, either you’re going to look in or you're going to look away. You can’t cover both.”

If the Nats are not convinced they need another lefty, right-hander Jimmy Cordero or non-roster invitees Henderson Alvarez, Scott Copeland or Aaron Barrett could also be candidates for the final slot.

"We have options," Martinez said.

Kendrick begins jogging, riding bike

Howie Kendrick started riding an exercise bike and doing some light jogging, his first steps toward a return from the mild left hamstring strain he suffered last week. It’s an encouraging sign for Kendrick, who also started hitting in the batting cage and has technically not yet been ruled out for Opening Day, although the timeline seems tight.

The 35-year-old veteran is also coming off Achilles surgery last May, and the team wants to make sure he is 100 percent before he resumes full baseball activities.

“We’re going to keep him away from running for a while,” Martinez said.

If Kendrick is not ready in time, the Nationals have a few options for his open bench slot. Adrian Sanchez has played a few different positions this spring as the team attempts to turn him into a super utility player; Brandon Snyder and Matt Reynolds are both in camp as non-roster invites who can play multiple positions.

Up next

A marquee pitching matchup is on tap when the Nationals host the Astros on Tuesday night at the FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches. Stephen Strasburg, who still has yet to allow an earned run this spring, will match up against Astros ace Justin Verlander. First pitch is at 6:35 p.m. ET.