MILWAUKEE -- The Nationals added five players to their roster Friday as Major League rosters expanded, with right-hander Ryan Madson activated from the disabled list as a surprising inclusion.
Madson arrived in Milwaukee just before 5 p.m. ET, rejoining the team for the first time since spending a few weeks in Arizona to see a hand specialist for a sprained right finger. Manager Dusty Baker had not met with Madson, so his status was unclear, however, Baker said Madson would likely need to throw at least a bullpen session and be checked on by team trainers before he would be used in a game.
"We sure miss him," Baker said. "Because we had a pretty good thing going [in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings]. We just hope that he's ready to come back soon."
The fact that Madson was activated would seem to indicate a positive sign about his status. Among Washington's callups, Madson joins left-hander Enny Romero, who was also activated from the DL, while right-handers Austin Adams and Erick Fedde, the Nats' No. 3 prospect as rated by MLBPipeline.com, were promoted from Triple-A Syracuse and catcher Raudy Read was promoted from Double-A Harrisburg.

Washington is likely to recall a few more players once Syracuse's season ends, or when players who have recently been sent to the Minors -- including outfielders Andrew Stevenson, Rafael Bautista, right-handers A.J. Cole and catcher Pedro Severino -- are eligible to return.
Romero returns to the Nats after missing 27 games with a left forearm strain. He appeared in seven rehab games at Syracuse, giving up three runs in 6 1/3 innings, but said he utilized his time in the Minors to work on his secondary pitches to complement his electric fastball.
"That's the biggest thing," Romero said. "Getting comfortable throwing my offspeed in any count I want."
Read, the team's No. 14 prospect, joins the Nationals for the first Major League assignment after a season at Harrisburg in which he was Eastern League All-Star. He was not in the club's initial plans, but Washington called him up after catcher Matt Wieters took a foul ball off the knee Thursday night and did not start Friday's game against the Brewers. Baker did not sound too concerned about Wieters, but the team added Read just in case.
"As a little boy, growing up that's what you dream of getting to the big leagues," Read said through an interpreter. "When I received the phone call, I felt excited and emotional; I almost wanted to cry. Just nervous, all in one."