“I’m doing everything I can in practice to get myself out there and help push this team,” Williams said. “We played some really good baseball and I will be sad not to be a part of that in the coming weeks. But I’m looking forward to attacking this rehab and trying to get better as quickly as possible.
Williams said his arm did not recover normally after his previous start Thursday, when he allowed one run in 5⅔ innings of a win in Atlanta. Imaging revealed no structural damage, but Williams will be closed for two weeks.
Williams, who signed a two-year, $13 million contract in December 2022, is in the midst of the best season of his career on the injured list. He had transformed himself into a legitimate trade candidate for the rebuilding Nationals.
“He pitched really well,” Manager Dave Martinez said. “Some things are just out of your control. … It stinks for him because he did such a great job. It stinks for our team because he was there every five days competing and keeping us in ball games.
Williams joins Josiah Gray, Washington’s Opening Day starter, on the IL. The right back was placed on the injured list at the beginning of April with a similar injury. Gray has worked his way back; he threw 65 pitches in his third live bullpen session on Tuesday. Martinez said the 26-year-old could start a drug rehabilitation assignment as early as Sunday.
The Nationals acquired Herz in July when they traded third baseman Jeimer Candelario to the Chicago Cubs. The 23-year-old southpaw, whose Vulcan switch raised his profile in the minors, had a 3.75 ERA with 42 strikeouts and 29 walks in nine starts, totaling 36 innings for Rochester this season, his first in Class AAA. He struck out 10 in 5⅓ innings in his most recent start Thursday.