Washington optioned Thompson to Triple-A Rochester on Wednesday.
This move clears out a 28-man roster spot for Jackson Rutledge, who is making his major-league debut in a start Wednesday at Pittsburgh. Thompson, 25, has struggled to a 5.50 ERA, 1.56 WHIP and 44:22 K:BB in 54 innings of relief this season with the Nationals.
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Nationals' Mason Thompson: Returns from injured list
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Thompson (knee) was reinstated from the 15-day injured list Sunday, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.
Thompson landed on the injured list Aug. 5 with a left knee contusion, but he's ready to rejoin the Nationals after a one-outing rehab assignment. The right-hander has 10 holds while working as part of the bridge to the late innings for the Nationals, but he has a 4.56 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 40:19 K:BB across 47.1 innings.
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Nationals' Mason Thompson: Lands on injured list
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Thompson was placed on the 15-day injured list Saturday with a left knee contusion, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Thompson hasn't pitched in a game since July 31, so it's unclear when exactly he suffered the injury. Saturday's starting pitcher, Joan Adon, was recalled from Triple-A Rochester in a corresponding move.
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Nationals' Mason Thompson: Notches third hold
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Thompson gave up two hits and struck out two in a scoreless sixth inning Friday to record his third hold of the season in a loss to Atlanta.
The 25-year-old right-hander looked like he might be in line for significant high-leverage usage early in the season, but instead Thompson has fallen apart, posting a 7.62 ERA, 2.08 WHIP and 9:9 K:BB through 13 innings since the beginning of May. If he can find some consistency, however, there should be plenty of opportunities for Thompson and his mid-90s sinker to move up the ladder in a Nationals bullpen that doesn't have any truly dominant late-inning arms.
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Nationals' Mason Thompson: Collects win Sunday
Rotowire
Thompson (1-1) gave up one hit in a scoreless eighth inning Sunday to record the win against the Guardians. He didn't walk or strike out a batter.
The right-hander entered the game with the Nationals down 6-5, and after needing only 13 pitches (eight strikes) to retire the side, Thompson was rewarded with his first win when Washington plated two in the bottom of the frame. Thompson has been one of the better arms in the team's bullpen to begin the season, posting a 1.59 ERA and 8:1 K:BB through 11.1 innings, and he appears to be working his way into a high-leverage role.
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Nationals' Mason Thompson: Looks good to begin campaign
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Thompson gave up one hit and struck out three over two scoreless innings of relief in an Opening Day loss to Atlanta.
The 25-year-old righty entered the game in the sixth inning with the Nationals down 4-2 and fanned Austin Riley and Michael Harris to keep things close for the home squad. Thompson's role is fairly undefined to begin the season -- starter Patrick Corbin couldn't complete four innings Thursday, taxing the Washington bullpen right out of the gate -- but if he keeps getting the job done, he could work his way into a high-leverage role.
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Nationals' Mason Thompson: Could land high-leverage role
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Thompson could see high-leverage work for the Nationals this season, potentially even in the ninth inning with manager Dave Martinez suggesting he'll use Kyle Finnegan as a fireman and not a traditional closer, Bobby Blanco of MASN reports.
Finnegan still seems likely to see the majority of save chances for the Nationals this season, but there could be saves up for grabs if the right-hander gets the call earlier in games in tight situations. Thompson would be just one of many candidates who could benefit, with Hunter Harvey, Alex Colome, Sean Doolittle (elbow) and Carl Edwards also in the mix depending on matchups and performance. Thompson hasn't hurt his chances this spring, posting a 3:0 K:BB through 3.1 innings, but he'll need to up his strikeout rate to become a key member of the Nats bullpen after managing just a 15:9 K:BB through 24.2 big-league innings in 2022.
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Nationals' Mason Thompson: Secures three-inning save
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Thompson allowed one hit over three shutout innings against the Cardinals on Monday. He struck out one and earned a save.
Thompson hadn't pitched more than an inning in any MLB appearance this season but he had no trouble working through the final three frames of Monday's victory. He's now sporting a 0.75 ERA through 12 innings with Washington this season. Thompson picked up his first save of the year Monday and shouldn't be expected to see many more opportunities down the stretch.
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Nationals' Mason Thompson: Returns to majors
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The Nationals recalled Thompson from Triple-A Rochester on Thursday, Jessica Camerato of MLB.com reports.
Thompson is back for his third stint of the season with the Nationals. Over his previous nine appearances out of the bullpen with the big club, Thompson has looked sharp while accruing a 1.13 WHIP and 1.00 WHIP across eight innings.
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Nationals' Mason Thompson: Gets call from minors
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The Nationals recalled Thompson from Triple-A Rochester ahead of Sunday's game in Philadelphia, Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reports.
He'll be joining the Washington bullpen as a replacement for Jordan Weems, who was optioned after giving up three earned runs over 2.1 innings of long relief in Saturday's 11-5 loss. Thompson has previously made seven appearances for Washington this season, striking out four over six scoreless innings.
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Nationals' Mason Thompson: Activated from IL
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Thompson (biceps) is back with the Nationals and will be activated from the 60-day injured list Friday, Matt Weyrich of NBC Sports Washington reports.
Thompson will rejoin the team ahead of their series with the Marlins, making his return from a biceps injury that has sidelined him since April 10. The reliever has pitched one scoreless inning this season, walking two batters while striking out three. He'll initially operate in low-leverage situations.
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Nationals' Mason Thompson: Kicks off rehab assignment
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Thompson (biceps) struck out two and allowed one hit and no walks over a scoreless inning in his rehab appearance Monday for the Nationals' rookie-level Florida Complex League affiliate.
Thompson has been on the shelf since April 10 with left biceps tendinitis, so he's expected to require several appearances in the minors before the Nationals are comfortable reinstating him from the 60-day injured list. Between stops with Washington and San Diego in 2021, Thompson generated a 4.01 ERA, 1.91 WHIP and 23:15 K:BB across 24.2 innings out of the bullpen.
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Nationals' Mason Thompson: Dealing with biceps tendinitis
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Thompson, who was placed on the 10-day injured list earlier Sunday, was diagnosed with right biceps tendinitis after undergoing an MRI, Jessica Camerato of MLB.com reports.
The original diagnosis for Thompson's injury was a biceps strain, but it's instead been classified as tendinitis after receiving the imaging results. It's unclear how long the 24-year-old is expected to be unavailable, but he'll be eligible to be activated April 20 versus the Diamondbacks.
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Nationals' Mason Thompson: Three whiffs in first outing
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Thompson walked one batter, hit another with a pitch and struck out three in a scoreless inning during Thursday's loss to the Mets.
Entering the game in the ninth inning with the Nationals down 5-1, Thompson showed both how dominant he can be -- he topped out at 97 mph with his power sinker while also mixing in a slider -- and how much he needs to work on his control to become a reliable high-leverage reliever. The Nats' bullpen has no one in established roles to begin the year, however, so if Thompson can tighten things up just a little, he could become a dark-horse candidate for saves in 2022.
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Nationals' Mason Thompson: Slated to join big-league club
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Thompson is expected to join the major-league roster Saturday, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.
Thompson made his major-league debut earlier this season and allowed a run in three innings across four relief appearances. He's posted a 5.34 ERA and 1.17 WHIP in 28.2 innings at Triple-A El Paso this year, and he'll now get a chance to carve out a big-league role with his new club.
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Nationals' Mason Thompson: Dealt to Nats
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Thompson will be traded from the Padres to the Nationals on Thursday along with Jordy Barley in exchange for Daniel Hudson (COVID-19), Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.
Thompson was originally drafted by the Padres with the 85th overall pick in the 2016 first-year player draft. He dealt with a shoulder injury that slowed his progress through the team's system, but he did ultimately make his major-league debut earlier this season. Though Thompson was with Triple-A El Paso at the time of the trade, it's possible that he'll get a look with the Nationals given their current rebuild.
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Padres' Mason Thompson: Earns hold in big-league debut
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Thompson was credited with a hold in Tuesday's win over the Dodgers. He faced two batters, walking one and retiring the other on a fielder's choice.
The 23-year-old was summoned in a high-leverage situation in his first MLB outing, coming into the game in the eighth inning with a runner on first base and San Diego holding a two-run lead. He threw a wild pitch and then walked Max Muncy but got out of the inning by retiring AJ Pollock on a fielder's choice grounder. Thompson's 5.89 ERA and 1.33 WHIP this season at the Triple-A level aren't particularly impressive, so it would be a surprise if he's given consistent high-leverage opportunities with the big club despite Tuesday's successful debut.
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Padres' Mason Thompson: Earns big-league call-up
Rotowire
The Padres recalled Thompson from Triple-A El Paso ahead of Sunday's game against the Reds, MLB.com reports.
San Diego brought up Thompson and Nick Ramirez from Triple-A ahead of the series finale to provide some fresh arms after the team opted for a bullpen day in Saturday's 7-5 win. Thompson supplied a 5.89 ERA and 1.33 WHIP in 18.1 innings at El Paso, so he likely won't be counted on for high-leverage work in his first stint in the big leagues.
