WASHINGTON -- The Nationals have placed first baseman Matt Adams on the 10-day disabled list with a fractured left index finger.
Adams suffered the injury on Friday in Toronto when he was hit by an Aaron Sanchez fastball on a bunt attempt in the second inning. He stayed in the game, but was removed an inning later and hasn't played since. His DL stint is retroactive to June 16.
"The good thing is, it's his non-throwing hand, so that helps," said manager Davey Martinez. "Once the pain actually goes away -- he was feeling better last night -- then once that goes away, he can start swinging the bat a little bit and see where he's at."
The 29-year old slugger has been a key cog in a Nationals offense that's suffered numerous injuries this season. Filling in for Ryan Zimmerman at first base and Adam Eaton in left field, Adams is hitting .275 in 57 games. He has 13 homers and 36 RBIs, both of which rank second on the Nationals behind Bryce Harper.
Adams, who spent his first five-plus seasons with the Cardinals before getting dealt to the Braves in 2017, signed a one-year, $4 million deal with Washington in the offseason. In his absence, the Nationals will use Daniel Murphy and Mark Reynolds as their primary first basemen.
Along with placing Adams on the DL, the Nats also optioned reliever Wander Suero to Triple-A Syracuse on Tuesday. Those moves opened roster spots for pitchers Jefry Rodriguez and Kelvin Herrera.
Rodriguez was called up from Double-A Harrisburg and will start Tuesday's game against the Orioles. Herrera, the former Royals closer who was acquired in a trade on Monday night, arrived in D.C. on Tuesday afternoon and will be an active member of Washington's bullpen in the series opener against Baltimore.
"I was in shock when they originally told me because it was a little unexpected," said Herrera, speaking through an interpreter about the trade, which transpired more than a month prior to MLB's non-waiver trade deadline. "It's always great to feel like you can help a team win, and basically I'm coming into this situation feeling like I can help this team win. And I'm looking forward to it."