Washington Nationals

Connelly Early

SP

The southpaw threw 30 pitches in a bridge league game Tuesday, so he could be ready to handle around 40-to-50 during his upcoming appearance with Harrisburg. Early has yet to make his Nationals debut after being acquired from the Red Sox in July, but he may be able to join the big-league club before the end of the season if all goes well Sunday. Over 17 starts for Boston prior to being shut down with elbow inflammation, Early delivered a 3.44 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 93:34 K:BB through 91.2 innings.

Nasim Nunez

2B

Nunez's playing time has begun to dwindle after collecting just three hits in 39 at-bats across his last 15 games. He'll now miss out on the starting nine for the third time in four games while CJ Abrams starts at shortstop and Jorbit Vivas mans second base.

Drew Millas

C

Millas had a procedure in July when he first suffered the injury, but he'll undergo another one Friday because the finger didn't heal as hoped. It will be the third surgery the catcher has had on the finger since last August. There's no word on a timeline for Millas' rehab, but he should be healed well before spring training.

Orlando Ribalta

RP

Ribalta landed on the injured list Monday with forearm inflammation, but the results of his tests confirmed that he isn't dealing with a structural issue. The Nationals will now shift their focus to making sure the 28-year-old gets enough time to rest and recover, and with the team well outside of the hunt for a postseason berth, there's no guarantee he pitches again this season.

Harry Ford

C

He took Patrick Monteverde deep to lead off the seventh inning, Ford's third homer in 23 big-league games this season. While he's flashing some power, Ford isn't doing much else at the plate. Through 48 plate appearances in August, he's compiled a .209/.292/.442 slash line with four doubles, two home runs, four RBI and seven runs.