Kelley said Baker told him about the decision Wednesday, asking him to be ready in the ninth inning for now, regardless of matchups. Baker had often used Kelley to match up in the seventh and eighth innings, though righties were hitting .185 against him as of Thursday night, lefties .136.

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“I’ll prepare for it just like I do any other time,” Kelley said. “Now I know how he’s thinking.”

Kelley threw 1 2/3 innings Wednesday night and again, though briefly, Thursday. Though Baker did not say so for sure, his newly named ninth-inning man will probably be unavailable to pitch that inning Friday night, should there be a need. Baker tries not to push most of his relievers past two days in a row, and Papelbon was no exception. But Kelley’s workload garners particular monitoring given he has had two Tommy John surgeries in his career.

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“Maddux has talked about it from the beginning, in spring training, just being honest about it,” Kelley said. “Because we’re not helping ourselves or the team if we try to be a hero every night.”

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The 32-year-old, who signed a three-year deal with the Nationals this offseason after a strong 2015 spent in San Diego, said the number of times he has gotten up to warm up, pitch count and overall workload contribute to whether or not he can push through another outing or not. Maddux checks in with each reliever each day, and Kelley says he tries to be honest with him.

“I hate being honest. I like to say I can pitch every day,” Kelley admitted. “But I will say I have gotten better.”

Kelley has not been charged with a run in seven appearances in save situations this season. He is holding opponents to a .176 batting average in the seventh, .125 in the eighth, and .222 in the ninth. He has never been a closer for long, though he filled in with the Yankees for brief time after Mariano Rivera retired. In 75 ninth-inning appearances, hitters are hitting around .260 against him, and he is pitching to a 3.58 ERA. His career ERA is 3.58, too.