Ivan Rodriguez will continue to rehab his oblique injury rather than begin his rehab assignment Sunday with Single-A Hagerstown.

There seemed to be a possibility that Pudge would catch Stephen Strasburg in his first rehab game Sunday, but the catcher just isn't ready yet. The good news is that he recently received an encouraging second opinion on his strained right oblique and should be ready to play in games before long.

Ivan Rodriguez has reported to Single-A Hagerstown after receiving an encouraging second opinion on his strained right oblique.

He took batting practice Sunday, and although the Nats don't plan on him playing Sunday, it's possible he could be cleared to catch Stephen Strasburg's first rehab start. Pudge has been out since July 6 and was recently shut down after experiencing a setback.

Ivan Rodriguez (oblique) will visit a doctor in Philadelphia this week after experiencing a setback.

Rodriguez was scheduled to begin a minor league rehab assignment on Saturday or Sunday at Single-A Hagerstown, but that won't be happening now. The veteran catcher has been sidelined since early July with a strained right oblique and is not close to returning to the Nationals.

Ivan Rodriguez (oblique) might begin a minor league rehab assignment this weekend with Class A Hagerstown.

If he does, there's a pretty good chance he'll catch Stephen Strasburg, who is tentatively scheduled to make his first minor league rehab start on Sunday. Pudge has been sidelined since straining his right oblique in early July.

Ivan Rodriguez (oblique) is close to going on a minor league rehab assignment.

Pudge hasn't played since straining his right oblique in early July. He still feels some pain when he swings the bat, but is making good progress. The veteran backstop could be a trade candidate if he makes it back this month.

Ivan Rodriguez has been making progress with his right oblique strain.

"He's coming along," said Nationals manager Davey Johnson. "I'm surprised I haven't had a phone call already telling me he's ready to come back." Pudge has been undergoing physical therapy and should make it back sometime in August.

Ivan Rodriguez is headed to Miami this weekend to get further tests on his oblique.

Pudge had a setback during his rehab, though he was able to hit off a tee and take soft toss earlier this week without any issues. His injury has ruled out the Nats trading him before the deadline, but he could go somewhere in August.

Ivan Rodriguez (oblique) felt no pain Monday when he hit off a tee and took soft toss.

"I'm pretty much right there," said Rodriguez. "The way I feel right now is 10 times better than I was just five, six days ago." It's nice to hear that he's making progress, but Nationals manager Davey Johnson indicated that it's unlikely he'll return from the disabled list when he's eligible Friday.

Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said Monday that he has received calls on Ivan Rodriguez, as well as members of his bullpen and veteran starting pitchers.

Rodriguez is currently on the disabled list with a right oblique strain, so he will have to prove he's healthy before being included in any deal. We know that the Nats have fielded some interest in left-hander Sean Burnett, but Livan Hernandez could presumably draw some interest from small-market teams due to his reasonable contract.

Ivan Rodriguez was shut down from swinging after feeling tightness in his right oblique.

It now looks like a severe longshot that Rodriguez will be able return when he's eligible later this week. The 39-year old veteran has a 2,842 career hits but may struggle to reach 3,000 if his health doesn't cooperate. Wilson Ramos will continue drawing starts for the Nationals.

Ivan Rodriguez (oblique) took 50 swings off a tee Friday for the first time since being placed on the disabled list.

He also played long-toss for the second straight day. The veteran backstop hopes to return from the disabled list as soon as he's eligible next week.

Nationals placed C Ivan Rodriguez on the 15-day disabled with a strained right oblique.

Jesus Flores has been recalled from Triple-A Syracuse to take his place on the 25-man roster. In the midst of by far his worst professional season at age 39, this should end any chance Pudge had of being dealt to a contender before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline. Of course, there's still a good chance he could clear waivers and be dealt in August.

Ivan Rodriguez's oblique strain could land him on the disabled list, according to Adam Kilgore at the Washington Post.

"I've never experienced this kind of injury," Rodriguez said. "If tomorrow is not better, we need a catcher." Nationals manager Davey Johnson had been rotating Rodriguez and Wilson Ramos, giving the young Ramos two out of every three starts. Ramos would gain some value if he becomes the everyday catcher in the short term.

Ivan Rodriguez has been scratched from Thursday's game against the Cubs with a back injury.

Wilson Ramos will start in his place. The Nationals don't seem too concerned about Pudge's injury.

ESPN's Buster Olney reports that the Nationals have "reached out" to the Giants to gauge their interest in making a trade for veteran catcher Ivan Rodriguez.

It's a bit surprising that the Giants haven't been more aggressive in their search for a new starting catcher. Perhaps they've tested a few different markets and balked at the asking prices. Either way, it seems that the Nationals are now officially dangling the 39-year-old Rodriguez as trade bait. He's batting .211/.259/.342.

Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said Monday that the club is not actively shopping Ivan Rodriguez.

Rodriguez has been mentioned as a possible fit for the Giants now that Buster Posey is lost for the season, but Rizzo doesn't sound inclined to part with him at the moment. "To move him, it would have to be a good deal that helps us long term, not a quick fix trade for offense to get us to the time when Ryan Zimmerman is back," said Rizzo. "Pudge would be a big piece for a contending team if they needed a catcher." While the Nationals value Rodriguez's leadership, the veteran backstop is batting just .211/.259/.342 with two homers and 14 RBI over 82 plate appearances this season. He continues to lose playing time to young catcher Wilson Ramos, so we would be surprised if he's still calling Washington home after the trade deadline.

Ivan Rodriguez has "made it clear" to Nationals GM Mike Rizzo that he would prefer not to be traded this season.

Pudge has long been considered likely to be traded ahead of this season's non-waiver trade deadline, but speculation intensified on Thursday after Buster Posey broke his leg on Wednesday. With Wilson Ramos slowly emerging as a star in Washington and fellow top prospect Derek Norris also coming along nicely, there's little reason for the Nats to hold on to I-Rod if they can get anything in return for him.

Ivan Rodriguez went 2-for-3 with a double and three RBI in Washington's win over the Marlins on Sunday.

The multi-RBI game was just Pudge's second since April 17, but he does now have a solid 14 runs driven in through his first 63 at-bats. With Wilson Ramos batting just .121 this month, Rodriguez could be in line for a little more playing time.

Ivan Rodriguez hit a tie-breaking single and Laynce Nix followed with a three-run homer Sunday as the Nationals beat the Mets 7-3 in 11 innings.

The Nats battered Blaine Boyer for four runs in the 11th to take two out of three in New York. Credit the bullpen, which gave up just one hit in five scoreless innings after Jason Marquis left. Rodriguez went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI while starting for the fifth time in nine games. He's expected to lose playing time to Wilson Ramos as the season goes on.

Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal believes Ivan Rodriguez could be an eventual trade target for the Red Sox.

With the Jarrod Saltalamacchia show off to a horrid start and Jason Varitek no longer able to play every day, Boston could hit the market for a catcher sooner rather than later. With Wilson Ramos looking ready for the starting job in Washington, it likely wouldn't be all that difficult to pry Pudge away from the Nats.