Nats add Maldonado, release Bruney

As expected, the Nationals have added catcher Carlos Maldonado to the 25-man roster to replace the injured Ivan Rodriguez, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list on Monday. Maldonado, 31, had been with Triple-A Syracuse. He was added to the 40-man roster with the unconditional release of right-handed relief pitcher Brian Bruney, who had been designated for assignment on May 17. Bruney, 28, had a 7.64 ERA in 19 games with Washington. He was acquired during the offseason in a trade with the New York Yankees. Maldonado last appeared in the big leagues in 2007 with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He signed as a minor-league free agent in the offseason and was hitting just .217 with the Chiefs.

Washington begins a three-game series in San Francisco tonight – weather permitting. It’s been raining much of the day in the Bay Area and those showers will likely linger into tonight. The game is supposed to start at 10:15 p.m. EST. Check out our preview of the 10-game road trip here. Livan Hernandez (4-2, 1.62 ERA) is on the mound for Washington. He faces Todd Wellemeyer (2-4, 5.71 ERA), the Giants’ No. 5 starter. Here is the Nats’ lineup. Will post San Francisco’s lineup when it’s available.

Nationals: