Mason Denaburg: Switching from baseball to football
Rotowire
Denaburg announced his retirement from professional baseball Thursday and will pursue a career in football, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Denaburg plans to enroll at the University of Central Florida for the fall semester. A first-round pick by the Nationals in the 2018 First-Year Player Draft, Denaburg's baseball career was sabotaged by numerous injuries. The 25-year-old committed to play baseball and football at the University of Florida out of high school before deciding to sign with the Nationals.
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Nationals' Mason Denaburg: Undergoes Tommy John surgery
Rotowire
The Nationals announced Sunday that Denaburg (shoulder) recently underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Denaburg was believed to be entering 2021 at full health after having recovered from the arthroscopic right shoulder surgery he required in October 2019, but the 2018 first-round pick has a new arm injury to contend with. He'll end up missing the entire 2021 season and a large portion of the 2022 campaign while he recovers from the elbow injury. Given that he has yet to pitch at a full-season affiliate and now has two major arm procedures on his ledger, the 21-year-old doesn't look like an especially enticing player to hold in dynasty leagues.
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Nationals' Mason Denaburg: Ready to move forward in rehab
Rotowire
Denaburg (shoulder) said Tuesday that he expects to resume throwing bullpen sessions in the next three weeks, Byron Kerr of MASNSports.com reports.
The 2018 first-round pick has been pleased thus far with how he's progressed since undergoing arthroscopic right shoulder surgery last October. Denaburg plans to gradually increase his long-toss distance off flat ground through the end of July, and then get back on the mound for the first time since last summer. If the 20-year-old can steer clear of any major setbacks in his throwing program during the upcoming offseason, he should head into the 2021 minor-league season at full strength.
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Nationals' Mason Denaburg: Not at summer camp
Rotowire
Denaburg was not placed in the Nationals' 60-man player pool as he continues his rehab from an arthroscopic shoulder procedure over the winter, Byron Kerr of MASN Sports reports. "All reports have been positive," Nats assistant general manager for player development Mark Scialabba said this weekend. "Mason is at his home and we are closely monitoring his progress as he continues his rehab."
The 27th overall pick in the 2018 draft, Denaburg has had a bumpy start to his pro career due to shoulder trouble. Assuming his recovery goes smoothly, he should be able to get back on track in 2021, but the right-hander will still be a few years away from a potential big-league debut.
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Nationals' Mason Denaburg: To be handled carefully this year
Rotowire
Denaburg (shoulder) will be managed cautiously this year, Byron Kerr of MASNsports.com reports.
He pitched through a shoulder injury in 2019 and it led to horrible results (7.52 ERA, 1.82 WHIP). The goal in 2020 will be for Denaburg to have some success on a light workload before the training wheels come off in 2021. He will likely be assigned to Low-A for his age-20 season whenever the minor-league season gets underway.
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Nationals' Mason Denaburg: Impressive pro debut
Rotowire
Denaburg allowed three hits and two walks over four scoreless innings for the GCL Nationals on Monday. He struck out five.
The Nats' first-round pick in 2018, Denaburg didn't pitch at all after signing last year and was held back to start this season due to concerns over biceps tendinitis in his last year of high school, but the time off didn't seem to hurt the 19-year-old at all as he dazzled in his professional debut. The organization won't rush him, but if he continues overmatching Gulf Coast League hitters, a bump up to a full-season rookie league before the end of the season wouldn't be a surprise.
