On what figures to be a busy day for the Nationals, they made their first transaction this morning when they optioned Yunesky Maya back to Triple-A Syracuse and recalled left-handed reliever Atahualpa Severino from Syracuse.
Maya, who earned his first major league win Saturday night with 5 1/3 innings of scoreless work against the Mets, was not needed on the roster any longer after his spot start. Maya filled in admirably for the just-traded Jason Marquis Saturday night but with Chien-Ming Wang figuratively assuming Marquis’ spot in the rotation now, Maya became expendable. Tom Gorzelanny will most likely be moved back into the Nationals rotation now that space has been created but until today’s 4 p.m. deadline nothing is sure.
Severino had a 3.00 ERA in 23 relief appearances this season for Triple-A Syracuse. In his final eight appearances at Triple-A, Severino did not allow a run and has allowed just two earned runs in his last 14 outings, dating back to June 25. He will give the Nationals another left-handed reliever out of the bullpen, something Nationals manager Davey Johnson has been angling for.
