Andres

Chaparro

Bell has been a force of nature over the past week, batting .391 (9-for-23) with four homers and 15 RBI over his last seven games. The 33-year-old veteran slugger takes a seat in this one with righty Mike Burrows toeing the rubber for Pittsburgh. It’ll be Andrés Chaparro getting an opportunity at the cold corner with franchise building block James Wood at DH.

Chaparro is up to replace Jose Tena on the active roster. He could see time at first base with Nathaniel Lowe now a member of the Red Sox. He should not see time in a fantasy lineup.

They didn’t even give him a look. Chaparro hit .304/.400/.625 in 15 games for Rochester prior to his callup three weeks ago and then played in just four games for the Nationals, going 1-for-11. He hadn’t appeared in a game since June 20.

Sitting Bell in favor of Andrés Chaparro is a good call and should be the norm against left-handers, but this is just the second time all season that Lowe has been out of the lineup, even though he’s been a major disappointment in batting .228/.297/.369. The Nationals have James Wood DHing and Chaparro playing first base tonight.

This move was rumored on Sunday and is now official before Tuesday’s game. Chaparro hasn’t played third base in any of his minor league games this season, so he’s likely to serve as a backup first baseman and DH to Nathaniel Lowe and Josh Bell which keeps him off fantasy radars.

The 26-year-old slugger has appeared in 19 minor league games after returning from his oblique injury this season, slashing .288/.390/.576 with five homers, 19 RBI and a 17/10 K/BB ratio across 77 plate appearances. Nasim Nuñez was optioned to Triple-A Rochester after Sunday’s game to clear a spot on the active roster.

Chaparro has been sidelined since late March with an oblique injury, but there is no immediate spot for him at the big league level. He will remain in the minors and serve as organizational depth at the corner infield positions.

The 26-year-old was put on the IL with an oblique strain back on March 26, so it’s been almost two months since he’s played in a game. He will take some time to work his way back into game shape, but he also hit .215/.280/.413 over 33 games with the Nationals last year, so there is no guarantee he gets another chance right away.

Chaparro isn’t expected to miss a ton of time, but he’s not ready for the start of the regular season after suffering a left oblique strain earlier this month. The 25-year-old first baseman should be ready to return by mid-to-late April.

That means Chaparro won’t be ready for the start of the season. The injury occurred during batting practice before Saturday’s Grapefruit League contest, and he was scratched from the lineup. It may not be a long-term injury, but Chaparro won’t be back until the middle of April at the earliest.