Nationals optioned RHP Ryan Mattheus to Triple-A Syracuse. Mattheus has a rough 6.26 ERA in 23 innings this season at the major league level. He was booted off the 25-man roster Thursday to clear a spot for Drew Storen.

Nationals activated RHP Ryan Mattheus from the 15-day disabled list. He'll be the 26th man for Friday's doubleheader against the Mets but will surely stick around after that. Mattheus has been out since mid-May with a fractured hand.

Ryan Mattheus (hand) is shifting his minor league rehab assignment to Triple-A Syracuse. Mattheus allowed one run in four innings at Double-A Harrisburg and showed decent velocity with his fastball. He will be back in the Nationals' bullpen by the end of July and can be asset in the second half.

Ryan Mattheus (hand) will move his rehab assignment Tuesday to Double-A Harrisburg. Mattheus has been out since mid-May with a fractured right hand, but returned to game action last week. He remains on track to be activated from the disabled list later this month.

Ryan Mattheus (hand) will begin a rehab assignment with the Gulf Coast League Nationals on Friday. Mattheus began throwing from a mound a week ago and is ready to test things out in game action. He's been out since mid-May and will probably require a decent number of rehab appearances.

Ryan Mattheus threw off a mound Friday for the first time since he broke his hand in May. Nationals manager Davey Johnson said everybody was impressed with the way Mattheus threw. He could begin a rehab assignment within 10 days, which likely puts him on track to rejoin the Nats' bullpen by the end of the month.

Ryan Mattheus is scheduled to throw off a mound Friday for the first time since he broke his hand in May. Mattheus recently said that he's aiming to begin a rehab assignment later this month. Look for him to rejoin the Nationals' bullpen in August.

Ryan Mattheus (hand) has thrown from a distance of 60 feet each of the past two days. Mattheus is currently working his way back from a broken right hand, which he suffered when he punched a locker in frustration in May. He hopes to begin a rehab assignment in about four weeks, which means he likely won't rejoin the Nats' bullpen until August.

Ryan Mattheus (hand) played catch on Thursday for about 10 minutes. It's the first time he's done so since fracturing his right hand when he punched his locker in frustration. Mattheus should return sometime next month.

Ryan Mattheus is expected to be sidelined 4-6 weeks with a fractured right hand. Mattheus won't require surgery, but since the injury is to his pitching hand he can't do a whole lot while out. He'll have to build his arm strength back up once out of his cast.