Nats’ Trevor Williams lands on the injured list amid a strong season

“I’m doing everything in the training sessions to get me out there to help this team make a push,” Williams said. “We’ve been playing really good baseball, and I’m going to be sad to not be a part of that for the next couple of weeks. But I’m looking forward to attacking this rehab and trying to get better as fast as I can.”

Williams said his arm didn’t recover normally after his previous start Thursday, when he allowed one run in 5⅔ innings of a win at Atlanta. Imaging revealed no structural damage, but Williams will be shut down for two weeks.

Williams, who signed a two-year, $13 million contract in December 2022, hits the injured list in the midst of the best season of his career. He had transformed himself into a legitimate trade candidate for the rebuilding Nationals.

“He’s been pitching really well,” Manager Dave Martinez said. “There’s some things you just can’t control. … It stinks for him because he was doing such a great job. It stinks for our team because he was out there every five days competing and keeping us in ballgames.”

Williams joins Josiah Gray, Washington’s Opening Day starter, on the IL. The righty was placed on the injured list in early April with a similar injury. Gray has been working his way back; he threw 65 pitches in his third live bullpen session Tuesday. Martinez said the 26-year-old could begin a rehab assignment as soon as Sunday.

The Nationals acquired Herz in July when they traded third baseman Jeimer Candelario to the Chicago Cubs. The 23-year-old lefty, whose Vulcan change-up raised his profile in the minors, had a 3.75 ERA with 42 strikeouts and 29 walks in nine starts covering 36 innings for Rochester this season, his first in Class AAA. He struck out 10 in 5⅓ innings during his most recent start Thursday.