The Nationals recalled Romero from Triple-A Rochester and placed him on the 60-day injured list Thursday due to a left calf strain.
The calf injury is the latest in a growing list of on- and off-field setbacks for Romero, a 2017 first-round pick who has covered just 85.2 innings through his first five professional seasons. Before he was demoted to minor-league camp, Romero hadn't made any Grapefruit League appearances while dealing with back soreness, but it's a different issue that will keep him off the field for the first two months of the 2022 campaign. Once healthy, Romero is expected to head out on an extended rehab assignment, and he'll likely be optioned to Rochester whenever the Nationals choose to activate him from the 60-day IL.