Lidge ahead of schedule: Washington reliever Brad Lidge (abdomen) could return to the Nationals a little sooner than originally expected, reports the Washington Post on Wednesday. Lidge threw his first bullpen session on Wednesday since undergoing sports hernia surgery on May 1. He will head to Florida on Thursday to continue his rehab and could return to the team by June 12. "I’ve been pretty pleased with how fast my arm strength has come back,” Lidge said. “I was able to kind of do some real easy stuff, just keep my arm loose. Taking two weeks off, it can be pretty tough. But, really, we have to do a few things to keep it loose. It’s come back real fast.” (Updated 05/23/2012)
Injury Report
Abdomen - 15-day DL. Out until at least early June (Updated - 5/14/12)
Fantasy Analysis
The Nationals were originally targeting a June 15 return for Lidge, who appears to be a little ahead of that schedule. That is certainly good news, considering Henry Rodriguez was just removed from the closer job and the team is going with a closer-by-committee approach until help can come. Lidge could hold down the role until Drew Storen can return. For now, owners in deeper mixed and NL-only leagues should continue to stash Lidge in hopes he gets some more save chances when he returns. (Updated 05/23/2012).
04/09/2012 17:29 Drew Storen to have elbow examined
Nationals closer Drew Storen experienced some elbow discomfort after a recent simulated outing. He'll be examined by Dr. James Andrews.
04/09/2012 11:21 Reality Check: False hope springs eternal
Some owners tend to make a big deal out of spring stats, setting unrealistic expectations as a result. Scott White touches on that and shares a few minor leaguers worth tracking in his Reality Check.
04/05/2012 14:17 Fantasy Relief: Early saves up for grabs
Who will get the majority of the saves in Boston and Tampa in the near term? Michael Hurcomb introduces Fantasy Relief, a weekly column dedicated to the never ending search for saves, holds and other meaningful bullpen stats.
04/04/2012 15:10 What makes baseball great
All 30 baseball teams will be in action in the next few days. So now is the time to take a look at what makes America's Pastime so special to us.
03/30/2012 09:35 Fantasy Relief: Assessing all 30 bullpens
What do the bullpen and closer situations look like in the Nationbal League? Michael Hurcomb debuts Fantasy Relief, a weekly column dedicated to finding you saves and other critical relief pitching stats.
The Phillies never planned for Ryan Madson to close for them last year. They planned for Brad Lidge to recover from his biceps injury in time for opening day. But when that biceps injury gave way to a partially torn rotator cuff, Lidge's timetable went from weeks to months, opening the door for Madson to claim the closer role permanently. Lidge did eventually return in July and pitched quite well in a setup role, posting a 1.40 ERA with his usual high strikeout rate in 25 appearances, but the Phillies were willing to turn the page on him, allowing him to sign with the Nationals this offseason. Now that he's clearly behind Drew Storen for ninth-inning duties, he might be done as a closer at age 35. He's a player to leave for NL-only leagues. (Updated 1/27/12)
Actual 
AccuScore Projections) Note: Points are rounded down.
= probable start