Harper staying put with Nationals
As the Washington Nationals conducted a fire sale of veteran players, sending second baseman Daniel Murphy to the Cubs and first baseman Matt Adams to the Cardinals, the Dodgers put in a claim to acquire the biggest star on Washington’s roster: Bryce Harper.
“I think we claimed him,” manager Dave Roberts said before Tuesday’s game against St. Louis. “I can’t even get into that.”
The two sides did not make a trade, with Harper still in Washington as the Nationals attempt to vault out of third place in the National League East. The Dodgers have an identical goal in the West, although their climb to first will not be as steep as the one facing the Nationals.
After the July 31 trade deadline, teams can make deals by putting players through waivers.
If the Dodgers claimed Harper, they may have prevented division rivals like Arizona and Colorado from getting a chance to make a deal for him.
Washington general manager Mike Rizzo insisted Harper would not be dealt at the deadline last month. Harper is a six-time All-Star. He will be a free agent this winter. The Dodgers are expected to at least consider pursuing him.
“I had no fear of being traded,” Harper told reporters in Washington.
Stripling gets ready for simulated game
Ross Stripling tested his back by playing catch on Tuesday afternoon and hoped to clear a bigger hurdle with a bullpen session on Wednesday. Stripling has not pitched since Aug. 9 after experiencing inflammation after an outing in Denver.
“Tomorrow’s the first big test,” Stripling said. “But I’m pretty optimistic that it should be fine.”
Roberts indicated Stripling could appear in a simu- lated outing on Friday. If he made it through that assignment, he could return to the roster by early next week.
Venditte returns, Chargois to DL
The Dodgers placed reliever J.T. Chargois on the 10-day disabled list with nerve irritation and recalled ambidextrous reliever Pat Venditte.
Chargois left Monday’s game after experiencing tingling in his hands. Roberts indicated the issue was related more to Chargois’ neck than his shoulder.