Nationals right-hander Derek Law tells reporters, including Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com and Spencer Nusbaum of The Washington Post, that he has a partial tear of his flexor tendon. He will undergo surgery which comes with a recovery time of nine to ten months.
Law, now 34, had a good season with the Nats in 2024. He tossed 90 innings over 75 appearances with a 2.60 earned run average. His 20.8% strikeout rate was a tad below average but his 6.6% walk rate and 48.5% ground ball rate were both strong numbers. A flexor strain put him on the IL on August 17th but he was reinstated two weeks later.
The Nats clearly didn’t think the flexor muscle was an issue going into 2025, as they tendered him a contract. He and the Nats avoided arbitration by agreeing to a $2.75MM salary for this year, the largest salary of the journeyman’s career. He began the campaign on the 15-day IL due to a flexor strain. He started a rehab assignment in June, though that lasted only four appearances. He was transferred to the 60-day IL in early July.
With the news of this surgery, it will go down as a lost season for Law. He has passed six years of service time and will become a free agent at season’s end. His market should be modest, given his age, track record and this procedure. Given the expected timeline, he will still be rehabbing when the 2026 campaign begins. He could perhaps hold a showcase for interested clubs once he is healthy but will likely be limited to minor league offers.
Law has pitched for the Giants, Blue Jays, Twins, Tigers, Reds and Nationals over his career. He has logged 346 innings with a 3.69 ERA, 21.1% strikeout rate, 9.2% walk rate and 45.8% ground ball rate.
Photo courtesy of Rafael Suanes, Imagn Images