Doug Fister Had MRI for Inflamed Elbow

Mar 2, 2014; Melbourne, FL, USA; Washington Nationals starting pitcher Doug Fister (58) pitches in the first inning as the Nationals beat the Miami Marlins 10-3 in a spring training exhibition game at Space Coast Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Manning-USA TODAY Sports

According to a tweet by James Wagner of the Washington Post, former Detroit Tigers starting pitcher (and current member of the Washington Nationals) Doug Fister had an MRI for an inflamed elbow.

It doesn’t sound like it’s a huge big deal at the moment — the indication is that Fister would have continued to pitch if it was the regular season — but you’re never comfortable with a pitcher who’s reporting elbow trouble.

Fister missing any chunk of the season with arm troubles would changer the calculus of the trade in hindsight, but hindsight isn’t generally a good way to evaluate trades (because you can only trade based on what you know — or should know — at the time of the deal). There aren’t any indications that the Tigers were concerned about Fister’s physical health going into the offseason (and he didn’t miss a lot of time as a member of the Tigers), so this just looks like a bit of bad luck for Washington.

Either bad luck or nothing, depending on the eventual length and severity of the “injury”. It might just be something that goes away with a little bit of rest.