Bell, Harrison, Schwarber back with Nats

The Nationals’ roster received a boost on Monday, as Josh Bell, Josh Harrison and Kyle Schwarber were all reinstated from the injured list prior to the series opener against the Cardinals at Busch Stadium. Schwarber logged his first two hits of the season -- including a go-ahead RBI double in the sixth inning -- and Josh Bell scored a pair of runs in a 5-2 win.

All three players had been sidelined due to COVID-19 protocols, leaving Jon Lester as the only player still on the IL following the Nats’ season-opening COVID-19 issues.

Lester has been cleared to work at the alternate training site in Fredericksburg, Md., where he’ll throw a bullpen session on Tuesday, then a simulated game in the next few days.

“Once Lester comes back, we can totally put this behind us,” manager Dave Martinez said. “To go out there and put a lineup together that I envisioned when we were leaving Spring Training, it feels good.”

Bell started at first base and hit in the cleanup spot on Monday, while Schwarber played left field and batted fifth. Harrison started at second base and hit in the No. 7 spot.

“It’s never ideal when you're missing games; it is what it is, we're here now, we're happy to be here and just happy to contribute,” Schwarber said. “It’s game on. It's our Opening Day today; the butterflies are going.”

Schwarber watched the Nationals’ first six games on TV, occasionally waking up his wife -- much to her dismay -- when things got exciting. Bell said he was unable to watch due to local blackout rules, so he tuned into the radio broadcast to keep up with his new club.

“It was tough, but I feel like it’s part of the atmosphere right now,” Bell said. “I wouldn't wish that on anybody, to not be able to debut with a team the way that they'd like to, but it happened and here I am. I will say it’s good to be back.”

Both players did what they could to stay sharp. For Schwarber, that meant weight work, rides on his Peloton bike, some “angry hacks” at a tee, as well as simulated at-bats with the help of virtual reality goggles.

Bell’s tool of choice was a Wiffle Ball machine that pitches miniature balls at a 75-to-95 mph simulation.

“I would say that squaring up that Wiffle Ball machine is harder than the game, because it’s like golf-ball-sized Wiffle Balls and the balls are going all over the place,” Bell said. “If I had to equate a batting average on that thing, I’m probably a .200 hitter. When you actually do square it up, it's a good feeling. It makes baseball just a little bit easier.”

To make room on the roster, the Nationals optioned infielder Luis García and outfielder Yadiel Hernandez to the alternate training site, placing them on the taxi squad. Catcher Jonathan Lucroy was designated for assignment, while righty Ryne Harper and lefty T.J. McFarland were returned to the alternate training site.

Thank you for your service

Lucroy did a solid job filling the void behind the plate after catchers Yan Gomes and Alex Avila landed on the IL, but with both catchers back in action, there wasn’t room on the roster for the 34-year-old veteran despite his 5-for-14 (.357) performance at the plate in five games.

“I've known him for quite some time; truly a professional,” Martinez said. “It was a tough conversation; I don't like to have those conversations. … For selfish reasons, we would like to have him back if he wants to come back. What he did in a short period of time was awesome for us. He filled a huge gap for us.”

Lucroy is slated to hit his 10-year service time mark on Tuesday, a meaningful milestone to every player for both personal and financial reasons. Despite being DFA’d, Lucroy will continue to earn service time until his future is resolved, allowing him to reach the 10-year mark as scheduled.

Taking their shot(s)

A majority of Nationals players received the COVID-19 vaccine at the team hotel on Monday. Martinez said Major League Baseball and the Cardinals helped orchestrate the vaccinations, which were the one-shot variety.

“The guys that want to get vaccinated, got vaccinated today. We’re elated about that,” Martinez said. “For the most part, we all got vaccinated so we're going to move forward. For me, it's the safest way to go about it with this pandemic. Seeing what everybody's been through, not only in MLB, but all over this country in this world. We got offered it, guys stepped up and got vaccinated and it was awesome.”

Martinez had already received his first vaccine shot a couple weeks ago, so he will get his second injection in the coming weeks.

Clubs were informed last week that MLB and the MLBPA have agreed to relax certain health and safety protocols contained in the 2021 Operations Manual for fully vaccinated Tier 1 Individuals and for clubs where 85% of their Tier 1 Individuals are fully vaccinated. As part of that memo, players and staff were again strongly encouraged to receive one of the approved COVID-19 vaccines when eligible.