Sipp was pulled from Wednesday's game against the Phillies with left shoulder stiffness, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

EDGE Analysis

Sipp threw only four pitches and retired the only batter he faced before being removed. The 35-year-old will take Thursday's off day to rest up before being reevaluated Friday.

Sipp struck out the only batter he faced in Thursday's win over the Mets to record his third hold of the season.

EDGE Analysis

The veteran lefty has had some struggles in the early going along with the rest of the Nats' bullpen, posting a 13.50 ERA and 2.00 WHIP through two innings spread over four appearances, but his 3:1 K:BB is solid. Sipp is settling in as the top LOOGY at manager Dave Martinez's disposal, and in a division that includes Bryce Harper, Freddie Freeman and Robinson Cano -- his strikeout victim Thursday -- that could lead to frequent usage. Sipp's career high in holds is 24, set back in 2011 with Cleveland, but he could approach that number again with Washington.

Sipp will throw another live batting practice session Saturday, Jamal Collier of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

The veteran southpaw faced live hitters for the first time this spring Thursday and felt good, and while Sipp probably doesn't have enough time left on the Grapefruit League calendar to see any actual game action, he's still confident he'll be ready for Opening Day. "Every batter counts," Sipp said prior to Friday night's game against the Marlins. "And I've been around enough where I'm not going off the type of caliber of the hitter. I can look at my stuff and how it plays. ... It's not so much who I am facing, but it's being fair with myself, and seeing if I have the same stuff that I'm used to to start the season with." He's expected to fill a LOOGY role in the Nats' bullpen this season.

Sipp could be ready for Opening Day, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

EDGE Analysis

Sipp, who signed with the Nationals in mid-March, is slightly behind other pitchers, though he may still have enough time to get up to speed before the start of the season. The southpaw felt good after a 15-pitch bullpen session Thursday, and he's expected to pitch in a minor-league game over the weekend. Once Sipp is ready to go, he'll likely be deployed as a lefty specialist.

Sipp agreed to a contract with the Nationals on Wednesday, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports. Per Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post, Sipp's contract is a one-year, major-league deal that includes a mutual option for 2020.

EDGE Analysis

One of the more accomplished lefty specialists in baseball since reaching the majors in 2009, Sipp is coming off a stellar season in Houston in which he posted a 1.86 ERA and 1.03 WHIP in 38.2 innings and held same-handed hitters to a .191 average. Though he's been on the open market all spring, Sipp won't need much time to build his arm up ahead of Opening Day. As has been the case for Sipp in the past, expect the Nationals to deploy him almost exclusively versus lefties.

Sipp struck out both batters faced in the eighth inning of Sunday's 6-5 loss to Boston.

EDGE Analysis

Sipp entered with the bases loaded and benefited from the largesse of the home-plate umpire's expanded strike zone and struck out Blake Swihart and Christian Vazquez to end the threat. The left-handed reliever has returned to form in 2018 following two wayward seasons in which he posted a 5.33 ERA. He's getting both sides of the plate out, limiting left-handed hitters to a .585 OPS and righties to .665.

Sipp struck out all three batters in Sunday's 6-3 loss to the Tigers.

EDGE Analysis

Sipp was on for mop-up duty, entering in the ninth inning. He doesn't get too many high-leverage appearances, but the left-hander has executed when called on. The scoreless frame -- Sipp's sixth straight -- lowered his ERA to 1.93.

Sipp (2-0) walked one in a scoreless seventh inning and picked up the win Sunday against the Royals.

EDGE Analysis

In an ironic twist, the left-handed Sipp dispatched the three right-handed batters he faced while walking the lone lefty. Entering the contest, lefties had a .100 OPS off him while righties were at .953, although lately, it doesn't matter who's coming to the plate. Sunday's performance was his 12th consecutive scoreless appearance, a stretch in which he's allowed five hits and three walks while striking out 10 over 9.1 innings. His ERA is a tidy 2.16, which stands in contrast to the combined 5.33 he posted in 2016 and 2017.

Sipp has nine consecutive scoreless outings and a 2.84 ERA over 16 games this season.

EDGE Analysis

Since signing a three-year deal following the 2015 season, Sipp has been an unreliable reliever. Both Sipp and manager A.J. Hinch told Hunter Atkins of the Houston Chronicle that the left-hander's downfall can be traced to losing the feel for his splitter. That's forced Hinch to deploy the 35-year-old in low-leverage situations. However, an unintended consequence of losing the split for a while has been the development of a slider. He's allowed one hit off that pitch, which Sipp says "has been really significant against lefties." Left-handed hitters are batting just .087 against him. Sipp earned that three-year deal because of his effectiveness against lefties, and he may have earned an opportunity to face lefties in a high-leverage situations.

Sipp (oblique) was activated off the disabled list Wednesday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

EDGE Analysis

Sipp was in uniform and available, but did not pitch in Wednesday's game at Seattle. He returns to become the lone left-hander in the bullpen after dealing with soreness in his right oblique. Prior to the injury, he allowed one earned run on two hits and two walks while striking out two over 2.1 innings.