Nats' Harris dealing with 'strange' hand inflammation, hopes to return in May

Will Harris has an injury, and no one seems to know what it is.

The Washington Nationals right-hander has been sidelined since the beginning of spring training with a condition that causes his hand to puff up peculiarly while he's pitching.

"My body feels good, my shoulder and my elbow feel good. It's just the hand stuff is very strange," Harris told Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post.

"We got the best doctors and best trainers in the world, and we're all collectively trying to figure this out. But otherwise, I'm pitching, and I'm preparing myself to come back with or without a puffy hand. Obviously, hoping without, but it's not going to hold me back from trying to pitch in major-league games."

The 36-year-old reliever remains without a diagnosis, but he hopes to pitch through his condition with the aid of anti-inflammatory medication and return to the Nationals' bullpen at some point in May.

Harris said he experienced the same puffiness in his right hand throughout past seasons, but it reached a new level of concern against the Miami Marlins on March 6.

A doctor first diagnosed Harris with a blood clot after the Nationals placed him on the injured list, but a second specialist confirmed the blood clot as a misdiagnosis.

"It's weird. The common word is 'weird,'" Harris said of his ailment.

Harris signed a three-year, $24-million deal with the Nationals ahead of the 2020 campaign after posting a 2.36 ERA and 2.99 FIP in 309 appearances for the Houston Astros.