Washington Nationals pitcher Doug Fister has been diagnosed with a flexor strain in his right forearm, according to MLB.com.
The good news for Nationals’ fans is that it’s not an elbow injury for the starting pitcher who was mysteriously placed on the DL Friday. It turns out that he hurt his forearm during Friday’s start against the San Diego Padres, which had a rain delay that could have caused damage.
The right-hander seemed to truly find his game in Washington, but after Friday’s start, his era went from 2.87 to 4.31 because he allowed seven runs in two innings. Last year, Fister led the Nats in ERA with a 2.41 as the team won the N.L. East in his first season with the team.
Nationals Manager Matt Williams told the Washington Post that there is no timetable for the return of the 31-year-old to come back.
“It depends on how long it takes to calm down,” Williams said. “Of course, any time you’ve got a strained muscle you’re going to have to shut down for a while. Everybody is different in that regard. We’ll make sure that it’s calm when he starts to throw again.”
A.J. Cole will replace Fister for the time being.