Washington Nationals Place Patrick Corbin on Paternity List, Recall Veteran Righty

The struggling 33-year-old was not scheduled to pitch this weekend against the St. Louis Cardinals, while Paolo Espino is likely to be available.

The Washington Nationals have placed right-hander Patrick Corbin on the paternity list, MASN host Bobby Blanco reported Friday morning. To round out the 26-man roster, the Nationals have recalled pitcher Paolo Espino from Triple-A Rochester.

Corbin was not scheduled to start in the upcoming road series versus the St. Louis Cardinals.

The Nats have placed Patrick Corbin on the paternity list and recalled Paolo Espino from Triple-A Rochester.

Corbin was not scheduled to pitch this weekend in St. Louis.

— Bobby Blanco (@Bobby_Blanco) July 14, 2023

Corbin has been married to his wife, Jen, since 2018. Their first child was born on May 14, 2021.

By going on the paternity list, Corbin must miss Washington's next game, but he cannot miss more than three games. As a result, the veteran is slated to rejoin the roster when the Nationals start their series at the Chicago Cubs on Monday.

Corbin is 6-10 with a 4.89 ERA and 1.546 WHIP so far in 2023. He had a brief stint on the bereavement list in late June, but he still leads the National League with 19 starts on the season.

The former All-Star has seen his production decline ever since he turned 30 years old. After earning Cy Young votes in 2018 and 2019 with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Nationals, respectively, Corbin has gone 23-52 with a 5.61 ERA and 1.568 WHIP across 92 starts – the second-most in the NL – since 2020.

Espino, meanwhile, has spent each of the past three years as a part-time starter for Washington. The 36-year-old appeared in 79 games from 2020 to 2022 – starting 39 and finishing 30 – while putting up a 5-14 record and 4.56 ERA.

The Nationals optioned Espino to Triple-A to start 2023, and had only called him up for one outing against the San Diego Padres on June 25. Espino faced five batters and got two outs, allowing two hits, a walk and one earned run.

Washington starts the second half of its season Friday night against the Cardinals, with first pitch from St. Louis scheduled for 8:15 p.m. ET.

Follow Fastball on FanNation on social media

Continue to follow our Fastball on FanNation coverage on social media by LIKING us on Facebook and by following us on Twitter @FastballFN.

You can also subscribe to "The Payoff Pitch" podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.