NEW YORK -- Nationals right-hander Shawn Kelley has been diagnosed with inflammation and a nerve issue in his right forearm after receiving an MRI Saturday morning. Kelley will head back to D.C. to receive more tests so the team can have a clearer picture of his status.
"There's some inflammation and discomfort," he said. "I obviously couldn't get out of an inning last night physically. But there's no definitive solution at this point."
Kelley left his outing in the eighth inning Friday night after throwing 17 pitches when his arm went numb and he could not feel his fingers. He did come away encouraged that the damage does not appear to be to his elbow, and his ulnar collateral ligament was intact, a natural concern for a player who already has undergone two Tommy John surgeries.
This injury capped what has been a difficult season for the 33-year-old Kelley, who has struggled to a 7.36 ERA in 32 games during his second season in Washington. With a little more than a week to go in the regular season, however, Kelley was not ready to concede that this injury would end his 2017 season, even if it likely will.
"I'm not going to try to even think about that in my brain or speculate on that," Kelley said. "We'll see what happens."
Zimmerman to sit rest of Mets series
• Nats manager Dusty Baker held first baseman Ryan Zimmerman out of the starting lineup Saturday and plans to do so again Sunday after he said Zimmerman was dealing with some general soreness. Baker expects him to return to the lineup Monday night in Philadelphia. Zimmerman has played in 138 games this year, his most since 2013.
"It's getting late," Baker said. "Make sure he's right and preserved."