It’s a tough blow, made even tougher by the fact that Sean Doolittle, who struggled with injuries and decreased velocity when he last pitched for the Nationals in 2020, before a return to the organization as a free agent this year after he pitched for both Cincinnati’s Reds and the Seattle Mariners in 2021, was off to a strong start.
Doolittle was throwing with increased velo and was really impressive in his first few outings of the 2022 campaign.
Following his sixth scoreless appearance of the season on Wednesday, however, the 35-year-old reliever felt something in his left elbow, which felt worse than some discomfort he’d had in there after his previous outing in Pittsburgh.