{"id":899,"date":"2011-03-25T10:45:09","date_gmt":"2011-03-25T14:45:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nationalsarmrace.com\/?p=899"},"modified":"2011-04-29T15:45:13","modified_gmt":"2011-04-29T19:45:13","slug":"rodriguezs-dl-trip-incredibly-fortuitous-for-the-nats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nationalsarmrace.com\/?p=899","title":{"rendered":"Rodriguez’s DL trip incredibly fortuitous for the Nats"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A "neck spasm" is sending Rodriguez to the DL. Photo: prosportsblogging.com<\/p><\/div>\n

A few days ago I was kvetching<\/a> about the Henry Rodriguez <\/strong>situation in this space.\u00a0 One sentence summary; he was “stuck” on the 25-man b\/e he had no options yet was being held out of games to work on his mechanics.<\/p>\n

Now, it appears the Nats decision makers has been given a lucky parachute out of this debacle, with rumors now swirling that Rodriguez will start the season on the DL.\u00a0 Kilgore<\/a> reports that he was experiencing soreness in his shoulder while Ladson<\/a> said he saw a doctor for some neck stiffness.\u00a0 Yesterday morning Comak<\/a> reported he experienced a “neck spasm.”\u00a0 I’ll bet $100 someone took him aside and basically told him to claim some sort of soft-tissue, difficult to diagnose injury in order to enable a disabled trip visit.<\/p>\n

Either way, stashing Rodriguez on the DL is the best way to resolve this situation.\u00a0 It may be slightly unethical in terms of player movement, but it certainly happens all the time.<\/p>\n

Rodriguez’s DL trip means the bullpen and player retention issues that were plaguing the Nats resolve themselves for the most part.\u00a0 Here’s how the bullpen almost certainly shakes out now:<\/p>\n