Tanner Rainey is still considered a potential closer of the future in D.C. in spite of his struggles with injuries and retiring batters this season.
Rainey, though healthy, after an IL stint for a stress reaction in his right tibia, was optioned to Triple-A Rochester earlier this month to get sorted out, after he missed over a month on the Injured List, in a less-pressure-filled environment where he could pitch every other day regardless of game circumstances.
“I just want him to go down and just focus on just throwing strikes, getting his mechanics back,” Nationals’ manager Davey Martinez explained.