The positive news here is that Law doesn’t appear to be facing an extended absence based on his comments last weekend when he acknowledged that he would open the regular season on the shelf. The 34-year-old veteran reliever should be ready to return by mid-April, when first eligible to be activated.

Law is dealing with some general arm soreness this spring and won’t be ready for Thursday’s season opener. It doesn’t sound like a serious concern, but the Nationals don’t want to ramp him up too quickly and risk anything more serious. He should rejoin Washington’s high-leverage mix at some point in April.

The 34-year-old Law threw 90 innings in relief last season despite missing a couple of weeks with an elbow strain in August, and he wound up with a 2.60 ERA. He’s the undisputed leader of the Nationals pen currently, but the team will almost certainly pick up a closer candidate or two prior to Opening Day.

He takes the spot of Orlando Ribalta, who was demoted after Sunday’s game. Law’s 15-day absence due to an elbow strain ruined his chances of getting to 100 relief innings this year. Of course, being on pace for 100 relief innings was probably what led to the problem. He’s at 75 2/3 innings right now.