Left-handed pitcher Jon Lester is leaving the Washington Nationals spring training to undergo surgery to have his thyroid gland removed. Lester was scheduled to make his Spring Training debut Thursday against the New York Mets.
The surgery is scheduled for Friday in New York, Nationals manager Davey Martinez announced.
Washington became aware of the issue as Lester experienced fatigue throughout camp. Both he and the team decided it was best to do the surgery now. If all goes well, the procedure won’t keep Lester off the Opening Day roster.
The 37-year old Jon Lester inked a one-year deal worth $5 million with the Nationals in January. He became available after the Chicago Cubs declined a $25 million mutual option last October.
Lester has made at least 31 starts in each full season since 2008. He started 12 games during the pandemic-shortened season in 2020. Last season, he had a record of 3-3 with a 5.16 ERA. However, he did have a bout cancer, beating his diagnosis of anaplastic large cell lymphoma in 2006.
Lester is slated to be the fourth arm in the Nationals’ starting rotation behind their trio of studs, Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg and Patrick Corbin. He’ll hope to be an upgrade from Anibal Sanchez, who remains a free agent.
