The Nationals placed Lester on the COVID-19 injured list Tuesday, Jessica Camerato of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Lester is one of nine Nationals players on the 40-man roster who will begin the campaign on the IL as a result of the team's recent COVID-19 outbreak. Prior reports have suggested that only four of the players in question have tested positive, but it's uncertain whether Lester is one of the infected players or merely a close contact. Per Jon Heyman of MLB Network, players who tested positive will be eligible to return after 10 days in quarantine, while those ruled out through contact tracing can return after a week. With both Lester and Patrick Corbin on the COVID-19 IL to begin the season, Erick Fedde and Austin Voth could temporarily slot into the rotation as their replacements.

The Nationals are expected to be without Lester due to COVID-19 protocols if MLB clears the team to begin its season during the upcoming week, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

EDGE Analysis

Lester is among the nine members of the Nationals organization currently in quarantine because of COVID-19 protocols, though the club hasn't disclosed whether he's one of the four players who has tested positive or if he's merely a close contact of an infected individual. The veteran southpaw had likely been lined up to start Washington's fifth game of the season, but his absence from the team could prompt manager Dave Martinez to go with a four-man rotation this week, assuming the Nationals are able to play Monday against Atlanta. The team would have an off day Thursday that would allow it to reset the rotation and get by without a fifth starter until April 13 (at St. Louis) in that scenario. Erick Fedde and Austin Voth would be the top candidates to make a spot start for Lester if Washington decides to keep a five-man rotation in place.

Lester threw 75 pitches over 4.1 innings in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals, but it's not yet clear when he will make his first regular-season start, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports.

EDGE Analysis

The veteran southpaw is a little behind the rest of the rotation so the team could elect to have Lester throw a simulated game Friday, the first scheduled off-day of the season for the Nats, before taking the mound against Atlanta on April 7. Washington should announce its rotation plans to begin the season later this week.

Lester tossed 51 pitches over 3.2 innings in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports.

EDGE Analysis

The veteran southpaw looked good for three frames before fading in the fourth, and Lester feels he'll be able to find a little more velocity after averaging 88.5 mph with his fastball during the outing. "I feel good physically, so now I think it's just a matter of getting those reps and getting my feet under me and building", he said after the game. "I think that the big thing is I feel like I'm a little bit behind the eight-ball on some things, and I think (velocity) is one of them. I'm hoping that with... a little bit of adrenaline in regular games, that it will go up a tick. But even if it doesn't, I feel like I can still do the things I need to do." Lester had his preparations for the season derailed by surgery for hyperparathyroidism, but he's hoping he can get two more appearances in before Opening Day, whether in Grapefruit League play or in simulated games, to try and make up for lost time.

Lester (neck) made his Grapefruit league debut Thursday and threw 31 pitches, Jessica Camerato of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Lester had a minor surgery earlier in March, delaying his ramp up this spring. He completed two innings of work, hitting 89.9 mph with his sinker and 89.1 mph fastball. Lester is currently projected to be the fourth starter in the Nationals' rotation to begin the regular season.

Lester (neck) will start for the Nationals in Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Mets, Matt Weyrich of NBC Sports Washington reports.

EDGE Analysis

Lester will be making both his spring and Nationals debuts after his entry into the team's pitching schedule was delayed by the minor procedure he required earlier this month to have a thyroid gland removed. The veteran southpaw was able to throw 40 pitches in a live batting-practice session over the weekend, so he could push that count up to 50 or 60 pitches Thursday as he continues to build up ahead of Opening Day. Lester will likely begin the season as the Nats' No. 4 starter behind Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg (calf) and Patrick Corbin.

Lester (neck) could make his spring debut against the Mets on Thursday, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

EDGE Analysis

He was up to 40 pitches in his last live batting practice session and could carry two innings in Thursday's game if he is indeed cleared to make his spring debut. Lester still has time to get ready for his first turn in the rotation, although he may not be fully stretched out for that start.

Lester (neck) is throwing a session of live batting practice Sunday, Maria Torres of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

The 37-year-old is nine days removed from undergoing surgery to address hyperparathyroidism, and he appears to be closing in on his Cactus League debut for Washington. Lester previously said he's noted an improved energy level since the procedure. The left-hander was built up to about 50 pitches before going under the knife, so it shouldn't take too long for him to get back up to speed.

Lester says he's already noticed an improvement in his energy level since undergoing surgery for hyperparathyroidism, Maria Torres of The Athletic reports. "I feel like since I've been back, it's just the desire to want to work out. I enjoy that aspect of my job," Lester said Wednesday. "So that was a red flag for me, is when I'd have to drag myself into the gym to get going. The energy level has been great."

EDGE Analysis

Doctors can't be sure when the condition began to affect him, but Lester saw his fastball velocity begin a significant decline during the 2017 season, bottoming out at an average of 89.2 mph last year. "There would be times where I would run out in the fifth, sixth, seventh inning and feel like I hit a brick wall," he said. "There were times last year where I would come out of the bullpen and be like, 'God, did I pitch the game already?' Just thinking that maybe I needed to do a little extra in the weight room, maybe I needed to run a bit more, maybe I needed to do 20 extra minutes on cardio or whatever. When in actuality, this thing was slowing me down." Lester is also 37 years old and has over 2,500 career innings under his belt, so an undiagnosed health issue likely isn't the only cause of his eroding ratios, but if the surgery does improve his overall performance, he could still be able to provide another season or two of solid numbers. If his fastball velocity seems like it's returning toward the end of spring training once he's gotten stretched out, he could be worth gambling on in deep fantasy formats.

Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said Lester (neck) rejoined the team for workouts Monday, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

While Lester has yet to make his Grapefruit League debut, Rizzo noted that the veteran lefty had built up to 50 pitches in his throwing program before leaving the team last week to undergo a minor surgery to remove a thyroid gland. Rizzo said he would defer to Washington's coaching staff to determine Lester's availability for Opening Day, but in the absence of any physical setbacks, the 37-year-old should be ready to take the hill when his first turn in the rotation comes up during the regular season.