Maria Torres of The Athletic reported the news. Avila says he does not intend to stay out of baseball long and may look to jump into coaching or a front-office position. The 34-year-old is a career .233 hitter with 105 home runs and 395 RBI over 13 seasons and 3,049 at-bats.

Avila, who'd been out since mid-June because of bilateral calf strains and a case of COVID-19, figures to mostly serve as a backup down the stretch with Keibert Ruiz now installed as the everyday catcher in Washington.

Avila has been out since mid-June when he suffered bilateral calf strains while attempting to make an emergency start at second base. The Nationals won't ask him to do that again, and the 34-year-old veteran backstop will likely help mentor youngsters Riley Adams, Tres Barrera and eventually Keibert Ruiz.

Avila has been sidelined since the beginning of this month due to bilateral calf strains and has now apparently tested positive for COVID. That could obviously complicate his rehab process.