Chien-Ming Wang is close to coming off the disabled list and rejoining the Nationals, but with no room for him in an excellent rotation the veteran right-hander said yesterday that he’d be open to some relief work.
Middle relief would be an easy way for the Nationals to keep him in the mix while also giving Wang some time to show he’s actually ready to get major-league hitters out, but he’s made just five relief appearances in six seasons as a big leaguer and Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post notes that he needs much more time to warm up than a typical reliever.
For now he’s scheduled to make at least one more minor-league rehab start at Triple-A, but the Nationals will have to make a decision on Wang by May 27 and current fifth starter Ross Detwiler has a 2.78 ERA in seven starts.
