Saying the Washington Nationals' bullpen is running out of steam at this point of the season might be an understatement.Entering July 7, this relief staff has thrown 434 1/3 innings. That is almost 30 frames more than any other bullpen unit has tossed to date, as they are also only one of two teams across the majors that has gone above the 400-inning mark. And with injuries and usage piling up, the Nationals continue to call upon different arms who they hope will who give them quality performances.Unfortunately, this approach has meant that Washington has had to call upon arms throughout the first part of the campaign that have struggled. And ahead of their game on July 7, they have decided to activate left-handed pitcher Matt Krook -- who has an ERA of 17.18 this season -- as the latest move in their bullpen.Nationals Continue Their Bullpen Shuffle With Activation of Matt KrookAthletics pitcher Matt Krook | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectBack on July 4, the Nationals claimed the 31-year-old off waivers after he was designated for assignment by the Athletics. That came after Krook had given up seven earned runs in 4 1/3 innings pitched across his five outings for this season. For his career, the former fourth-round pick in the 2016 draft has an ERA of 16.50 across 13 big league appearances with 13 strikeouts and 12 walks over 12 innings.The activation of Krook came after Washington optioned right-hander Cole Henry back to Triple-A Rochester following Monday's game. During that contest, Henry threw 44 pitches, so he wouldn't have been available for a few days.That has been a theme for the Nationals when it comes to their bullpen as of late. On July 5, they optioned right-handed pitcher Eddy Yean back to Triple-A Rochester, despite his strong showing in his major league debut, because he threw 28 pitches across two hitless frames. Washington decided to bring Henry back to their MLB roster since Yean wouldn't have been available for a couple of days. Now, this most recent shuffle has resulted in someone with a career ERA of 16.50 being in the mix at a crucial point of the season before the All-Star break arrives.As if it wasn't said enough, it's clear the Nationals need help across their pitching staff. While the bullpen is easy to point to as the weak link, the lack of length they are getting from their starting rotation has also created this issue.If Washington is serious about making a postseason push, then adding real arms for their bullpen is something that must happen.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow