Romero was released by Washington on Monday, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

The decision to release the 26-year-old lefty comes after Romero received his second DWI arrest of the year. Romero spent most of 2022 with Double-A Harrisburg -- two years removed from his lone stint in the majors. Between constant issues with injuries and his behavior off the field, it's worth wondering how eager other teams will be to add Romero to their farm system.

Romero (calf) was reinstated from the 60-day injured list and optioned to Double-A Harrisburg on Saturday, Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Romero has been sidelined with a left calf strain since spring training, but he began a rehab assignment last weekend and struck out five in three scoreless innings over two appearances. The southpaw will head to Harrisburg now that he's healthy, but it's possible that he advances prior to the end of the regular season.

Romero (calf) began a rehab assignment with the Nationals' rookie-level Florida Complex League affiliate Saturday and issued two walks over a scoreless inning.

EDGE Analysis

The one-inning outing was Romero's first at any level in 2022, as he was placed on the Nationals' 60-day injured list coming out of spring training with a left calf strain. Romero likely doesn't have enough time left in the season to build up for a traditional starting role, so he's expected to be activated from the 60-day IL and optioned to Triple-A Rochester to serve as a reliever once he completes his rehab assignment.

The Nationals recalled Romero from Triple-A Rochester and placed him on the 60-day injured list Thursday due to a left calf strain.

EDGE Analysis

The calf injury is the latest in a growing list of on- and off-field setbacks for Romero, a 2017 first-round pick who has covered just 85.2 innings through his first five professional seasons. Before he was demoted to minor-league camp, Romero hadn't made any Grapefruit League appearances while dealing with back soreness, but it's a different issue that will keep him off the field for the first two months of the 2022 campaign. Once healthy, Romero is expected to head out on an extended rehab assignment, and he'll likely be optioned to Rochester whenever the Nationals choose to activate him from the 60-day IL.

The Nationals optioned Romero (back) to Triple-A Rochester on Tuesday, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Romero didn't pitch for the big club in 2021 and had yet to appear for the Nationals during the Grapefruit League while he contended with back soreness, so his demotion doesn't come as a surprise. Assuming the back issue proves to be a short-term concern, Romero should be ready to go for the start of the Triple-A season in early April.

Manager Dave Martinez said Wednesday that Romero has been shut down due to a stiff back, Matt Weyrich of NBC Sports Washington reports.

EDGE Analysis

Romero threw at spring training Monday but has been experiencing soreness since then. As a result, he'll have some time to rest to prevent a more serious injury. It's not yet clear how much time the left-hander is expected to be sidelined or whether the shutdown will impact his availability for the start of the regular season. Romero missed the start of the 2021 campaign with a rib injury and pitched exclusively in the minors after returning to game action.

Romero was placed on the temporary inactive list Monday, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

EDGE Analysis

Dougherty goes on to explain that Romero was basically placed on the paternity list to be with his family for the birth of his child. He figures to be away from the team for at least a few days.

The Nationals promoted Romero from Double-A Harrisburg to Triple-A Rochester on Tuesday, Grant Paulsen of 106-7 The Fan Washington reports.

EDGE Analysis

Romero appeared in three games at the big-league level in 2020, but that was largely a byproduct of the Nationals wanting a power arm out of the bullpen while the team still had visions of contending for the playoffs last season. With minor-league baseball returning to action in 2021, the Nationals shifted their focus back to developing Romero as a starter, but he didn't make his debut in the minors until July 1 while he recovered from a rib injury suffered in spring training. Upon completing a rehab assignment, Romero eventually settled at Harrisburg, where he submitted a 5.31 ERA and 1.48 WHIP in 20.1 innings over six outings. While Romero's surface numbers were ugly, his outstanding peripherals (2.75 FIP, 27.2 K-BB%, 0.89 HR/9) were justification for the Nationals to bump the 25-year-old up to Rochester.

Triple-A Rochester reinstated Romero (ribs) from its 7-day injured list July 20 and assigned him to Double-A Harrisburg. He's made one appearance for Harrisburg since being activated, striking out two over a scoreless inning.

EDGE Analysis

Romero was out of commission for the first two months of the minor-league season due to a stress fracture in his rib before he was cleared to begin a rehab assignment in the rookie-level Florida Complex League earlier this month. He made one appearance in the FCL, then picked up three starts for Low-A Fredericksburg before moving on to Double-A. Romero could slot into the Triple-A rotation by season's end once he gets a chance to build up his pitch count at Harrisburg.

Romero (ribs) will make a rehab start for Double-A Fredericksburg on Tuesday, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Romero made his first rehab start in the Gulf Coast League on July 1, and he allowed two runs on three hits and two walks while striking out two in 1.2 innings. He's been shut down since April due to a stress fracture in his rib, but he'll take another step in his recovery Tuesday. Once he's fully healthy, the southpaw will likely join the rotation at Triple-A Rochester.