by The Washington Times

The Nationals added five players from Class AAA Syracuse to their big league roster Tuesday: shortstop Ian Desmond, left-hander Ross Detwiler and right-handers Marco Estrada, Logan Kensing and Zack Segovia.

Notably absent from the list was right-hander Shairon Martis, who opened the season in Washington's rotation and at one point was 5-0 before faltering and getting demoted. Martis struggled to recapture his form at Syracuse, but general manager Mike Rizzo said the decision not to call the 22-year-old up was based strictly on the fact he already has thrown 160 innings this year.

Detwiler, who has pitched 128 2/3 innings at three different stops, also is closing in on his limit. So the 23-year-old and former first-round draft pick will pitch out of Washington's bullpen this month,perhaps making only one or two spot starts.

That leaves Estrada as the surprise newest member of the Nationals' rotation. The 26-year-old, who went 9-5 with a 3.63 ERA at Syracuse, is slated to start Saturday night against the Florida Marlins and make several more starts the rest of the way.

It's where I want to be and what I've always wanted to do, said Estrada, who made 11 relief appearances for Washington last fall. I'm pretty excited right now.

Desmond is equally enthusiastic to make his big league debut afterspending the past six seasons working his way up through the Nationals' farm system. The 23-year-old shortstop first received notice during a couple of spring training games in 2005, eliciting comparisons to Derek Jeter by club executives, but it wasn't until he went out andhit .330 at Syracuse and Class AA Harrisburg this season that he earned the call.

Oh man, those years were quite a struggle, said Desmond, who was plagued the past two seasons by a hand injury. But it's been unbelievable. I couldn't ask for a better time.

Kensing is making his third appearance with the Nationals this season, having already been designated for assignment three times (once by the Marlins). Segovia, who started one game for the Philadelphia Phillies in 2007, now finds himself in Washington's bullpen.

To clear roster space for the call-ups, the Nationals designated struggling reliever Jorge Sosa for assignment and transferred left-hander Scott Olsen to the 60-day disabled list.

Norris, Meyers honored

Two other top minor leaguers were at Nationals Park on Tuesday, not yet ready to play at this level but ready to be honored as the organization's players of the year.

Catcher Derek Norris and right-hander Brad Meyers were named organization player and pitcher of the year. Both enjoyed huge seasons. Norris ranked among the most productive catchers in the minors with 23 homers and 84 RBI for low-Class A Hagerstown.

They said the hardest thing is your first full season, said Norris, a 2007 draft pick. So I just trained physically in the weight room and mentally tried to get ready for a long, grueling season.

Meyers went 11-3 between Class A Potomac and Class AA Harrisburg and posted a 1.72 ERA, lowest among all full-season minor league pitchers.

He really picked it up, Rizzo said. He's been the most consistent guy, not only in our system but probably in professional Baseball. Heput all his abilities together this year and had a magical season for himself.

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