The Nationals placed relief pitcher Ryan Mattheus on the 15-day disabled list today, citing a case of plantar fasciitis, MLB.com reported. In Mattheus’ place, the team activated veteran right-hander Chien-Ming Wang from the DL.

Wang, in his fourth year with the Nationals, will be used as a long reliever for those games in which the Washington starting rotation—still the best in Major League Baseball—comes up short. (He was supposed to be the fifth starter at the start of the season, but went down with a strained hamstring. With the powerful stuff being slung by Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmermann, Ross Detwiler, Gio Gonzalez and Edwin Jackson, they haven’t really missed his services.)

Just the fourth Taiwanese player to make it to Major League Baseball, Wang started his big-league career in 2000 in the New York Yankees farm system. He hit it big in 2006 and 2007, when he led the American League in wins. But an injury to his right foot in June 2008 sidelined him for the remainder of the season. When he re-emerged in 2009, Wang just wasn’t the same—his windup seemed softer and his earned run average sagged to as much as 34.50. The Yankees snipped Wang loose later that season.

Wang signed with the Nationals before the 2010 season, but missed the entire season, still recovering from that foot injury as well as shoulder surgery. He rose through the Nats’ farm system in 2011 and popped up on the Nationals Park mound last July, eventually finishing the season with a 4.04 ERA. Despite some well-documented “extension and release” issues, the Nationals firmed up their commitment to Wang in November.

Until his injury, Mattheus compiled a 2-1 record and 2.25 ERA over 19 appearances. The Nats and their fans surely hope that Wang can fill the hole left by those impressive statistics.