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Top Nationals News
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Nationals' Dylan Crews: Down in No. 8 spot for opener
Crews is starting in right field and batting eighth in Thursday's opener against the Phillies.
Crews spent most of his time in the leadoff spot last season and hit either first or second throughout spring training, so it's a surprise he's down so low in the lineup Opening Day. Nationals manager Dave Martinez has all left-handed or switch hitters in the first five spots of his lineup Thursday against righty Zack Wheeler.
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Nationals' Jose Tena: Wins bench job
Tena earned a placed on the Nationals' Opening Day roster, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.
The 24-year-old was competing for a bench job during spring training and secured a place on the roster despite posting a .156/.240/.200 slash line in 50 plate appearances. Tena had a .668 OPS in 41 games with Washington in 2024 and is unlikely to be fantasy relevant this year.
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Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Placed on injured list
The Nationals placed Cavalli (elbow) on the 15-day injured list Wednesday, retroactive to March 24.
The right-hander is nearing the final stages of his rehab from Tommy John surgery, which he underwent in May of 2023 and subsequent dealt with a "dead arm" last summer. Cavalli's last significant action came at Triple-A Rochester in 2022, where he had a 3.71 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 104:39 K:BB across 97 innings.
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Nationals' Derek Law: Placed on IL
The Nationals placed Law on the 15-day injured list Wednesday with right forearm inflammation.
Complications from a late-season elbow injury in 2024 followed Law into spring training, though the Nationals are officially labeling his injury as a forearm issue. Either way, he'll now officially be sidelined through the first 15 days of the new season but isn't likely to need much more time than that to prepare for his debut.
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Nationals' Jackson Rutledge: Sent to Triple-A
The Nationals optioned Rutledge to Triple-A Rochester on Wednesday.
The right-hander entered camp on the fringes of Washington's rotation competition, but he began transitioning to a multi-inning relief role in mid-March. Rutledge allowed three earned runs with a 9:2 K:BB over 8.1 big-league innings last year, but he spent most of the campaign at Rochester, where he had a 6.40 ERA in 27 starts.
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Nationals' Zach Brzykcy: Officially lands on IL
The Nationals placed Brzykcy (quadriceps) on the 15-day injured list Wednesday, retroactive to March 24.
Brzykcy was limited to just one spring game due to a lingering quadriceps injury. He's eligible to return from the IL in early April, but he'll need to ramp up his activity via extended spring training or a rehab assignment before being ready for major-league action. Brzykcy made his MLB debut in 2024 with the Nationals, and across six games he allowed nine earned runs on nine hits and three walks while striking out four across 5.2 innings.
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Nationals' Juan Yepez: Relegated to minors
The Nationals optioned Yepez to Triple-A Rochester on Wednesday.
Yepez managed just a .559 OPS through 48 plate appearances in the Grapefruit League, which is enough of a drop from his performance in the majors last year (.764 OPS) to have him sent back to Triple-A. He should receive regular playing time while in Rochester and may be a candidate to serve as bench depth in Washington if his bat gets hot.
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Nationals' DJ Herz: Moved to 60-day IL
The Nationals transferred Herz (elbow) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Wednesday.
Herz was diagnosed with a sprained UCL in his left elbow Tuesday, which typically leads to season-ending surgery. The 24-year-old southpaw may attempt to rehab the injury before resorting to surgery, but he's due for an extended absence either way. He'll cede his spot on the 40-man roster to right-hander Brad Lord, whose contract was selected from Triple-A Rochester.
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Nationals' Andres Chaparro: Officially placed on IL
The Nationals placed Chaparro (oblique) on the 10-day injured list Wednesday, retroactive to March 24.
Chaparro suffered a left oblique strain during batting practice in mid-March. He's eligible to return April 4, but he'll likely need to ramp up his activity during extended spring training or on a rehab stint in the minors before being ready for major-league action. He played 33 regular-season games for Washington in 2024, but it's unclear whether he would be immediately called up to the major-league roster once fully healthy.
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Nationals' Brad Lord: Added to active roster
The Nationals selected Lord's contract from Triple-A Rochester on Wednesday.
Lord finished spring training with a 6.08 ERA and 8:3 K:BB across 13.1 innings -- not good enough to win a starting job, but just enough to earn a spot as a long reliever. The 25-year-old righty logged a 3.93 ERA and 1.38 WHIP in 55 Triple-A frames last season, and his first appearance of 2025 will mark his MLB debut. DJ Herz (elbow) was transferred to the 60-day IL in a corresponding move.
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Nationals' Andrew Knizner: Starting 2025 in Triple-A
The Nationals reassigned Knizner to Triple-A Rochester on Wednesday.
Knizner landed a minor-league contract with the Nationals on Jan. 17. That contract included an invitation to spring training, though he struggled to a .120/.214/.120 slash line across 28 plate appearances. Knizner will begin the 2025 regular season in Triple-A, but he could get a call-up to the majors if Keibert Ruiz or Riley Adams miss time.
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Nationals' Juan Yepez: Ticketed for Triple-A
The Nationals are expected to option Yepez to Triple-A Rochester on Thursday, Daniel Alvarez-Montes of ElExtraBase.com reports.
After producing a .764 OPS in 249 plate appearances with Washington in 2024, Yepez appeared to be in good position to make the Nationals' Opening Day roster entering camp, but he wasn't able to win a spot after slashing .244/.292/.267 over 48 plate appearances in Grapefruit League play. The 27-year-old should be in line for an everyday role with Rochester while likely making starts at first base, designated hitter and in left field.
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Nationals' Brad Lord: In line to make Opening Day roster
Lord has made the Nationals' Opening Day roster, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
Lord has predominately been a starter in the minors and could still return to that role, but the Nationals have opted to include him on their Opening Day roster in a long-relief role. The 25-year-old will be making his major-league debut if and when he gets into a game.
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Nationals' DJ Herz: Diagnosed with elbow UCL sprain
Herz was diagnosed Tuesday with a left elbow UCL sprain, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.
Herz's velocity was down this spring, which originally attributed to a "dead arm" phase. However, as it turns out, he's dealing with an injury that often requires season-ending UCL surgery, although it's not yet clear whether Herz might try the rest-and-rehab route first. At minimum, the lefty is likely to be out a few months, and in all likelihood, much longer.
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Nationals' DJ Herz: Shifted to IL
The Nationals placed Herz on the 15-day injured list Monday due to an undisclosed injury.
Washington previously optioned Herz to Triple-A Rochester on Friday after he fell short in his bid for a spot in the Opening Day rotation, but as a result of his move to the IL, he won't immediately report to the minors. Though the nature of Herz's IL placement isn't known, the lefty dealt with dead arm in spring training, so he could just need more time to build up. Washington will presumably have more details on the nature of the 24-year-old's injury as well as a potential timeline for him to return from the IL in the coming days.
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Nationals' Alex Call: Set for bench role
Call is expected to begin the season as the Nationals' fourth outfielder, Jessica Camerato of MLB.com reports.
The 30-year-old may not see much work however, with Dylan Crews, Jacob Young and James Wood entrenched in the starting lineup and all 25 years of age or younger. Call solidified his spot on the Opening Day roster by batting .333 (13-for-39) this spring with 12 walks against only five strikeouts, but his .231/.332/.364 career slash line in the majors better reflects his lack of fantasy upside should he find himself getting consistent playing time.
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Nationals' Michael Soroka: Stumbles in final spring outing
Soroka got tagged for six runs on five hits and four walks over 4.2 innings in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Marlins. He struck out three.
The 27-year-old righty won't head into the regular season with much momentum, but Soroka is still locked into a rotation spot for the Nationals. He wraps up his spring with a 7.47 ERA and 13:11 K:BB through 15.2 innings, and his breakout 2019 season with Atlanta is a long time, and multiple serious injuries, in Soroka's past.
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Nationals' Derek Law: Won't be ready for Opening Day
Law (elbow) said Saturday that he doesn't believe he'll be ready for the start of the season, Spencer Nusbaum of The Washington Post reports.
Law has been brought along slowly this spring, as lingering issues from an elbow injury he suffered late last season have followed him into camp. The Nats still haven't decided whether to put him on the injured list, though that seems like the most likely outcome at this point. Once healthy, the 34-year-old righty will likely be used often out of the bullpen, as he's expressed interest in breaking the franchise record for most innings pitched by a reliever (93).
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Injuries
| Player | Injury |
|---|---|
| D. Herz SP Davidjohn Herz SP | Elbow |
| C. Cavalli SP Cade Cavalli SP | Elbow |
| J. Gray SP Josiah Gray SP | Elbow |
| Z. Brzykcy RP Zach Brzykcy RP | Quadriceps |
| A. Chaparro 1B Andres Chaparro 1B | Oblique |
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