Notes: Lucroy's role; Martinez on Nats' start

With the Nationals a bit shorthanded due to a number of players starting the season on the injured list, catcher Jonathan Lucroy has stepped up and made an impact in just a short period of time.

In his first three games with the Nationals, the veteran catcher has hit .400 with a .900 OPS after he was added to the 26-man roster the weekend before Opening Day.

Lucroy’s most recent performance was a 2-for-3 day in a 1-0 loss to the Dodgers on Friday night.

A flurry of roster moves on Saturday brought back catchers Alex Avila and Yan Gomes, giving the Nationals three catchers on the big league roster -- and, thus, questions about playing time.

Nationals manager Dave Martinez said there are no set plans right now for Lucroy, aside from the fact that he will still be a contributor to the team.

“[Lucroy has] done well for us in a short period of time,” Martinez said. “So you know, he's still here. We haven't really talked about what's next for him. I just know that he's a National right now [and] he’ll help us try to win a game today.”

Martinez said rostering three catchers has allowed him to be more flexible with lineup decisions during the series against the Dodgers, considering each of the catchers has logged innings at first base during his career.

“It's nice to have three guys, especially when you have a guy that you can use as a pinch-hitter in [the] National League or play a different position,” he said. “So, it does give us a little flexibility when you when you can carry three catchers.”

Martinez on slow start
After having their season start late against the Mets, the Nationals entered Saturday 1-3 to start the campaign. They started the season with 10 players on the injured list, but have had some return, including lefty Patrick Corbin and the aforementioned Gomes and Avila.

In the three losses, the Nationals have lost by either one or two runs, which Martinez says shows just how competitive his team can be.

“That's a testament to these guys,” he said. “We'll start winning some of these one-run, two-run games, I’m sure of that, but I'm proud of the way the guys are going about their business.”

Harris throwing long toss
Reliever Will Harris was sidelined during Spring Training with what was thought to be a blood clot in his throwing arm. A venogram later showed that there was no blood clot and also ruled out thoracic outlet syndrome.

Martinez said Harris has been working his way back at the club’s alternate training site in Fredericksburg, Va., where Harris has played long toss, but is yet to throw off a mound.

“We've got to build [Harris] back up,” he said. “He missed so much time it's almost like getting ready for Spring Training.”

Nationals roster moves
Prior to Saturday’s game, the Nationals added pitcher Kyle McGowin to their taxi squad and added shortstop Adrián Sanchez to their alternate site.

McGowin pitched 2 1/3 innings and allowed no runs in his two starts for the Nationals this season.

Sanchez has played all three of his big league seasons with the Nationals from 2017-19. During that span, he appeared in 90 games and slashed .263/.280/.331.