Nationals' Brad Lord: Surrenders two-run homer in loss
Rotowire
Lord (0-3) took the loss in Saturday's game against the Mets, allowing two runs on five hits while striking out three over four innings. He did not issue a walk.
Lord gave up a two-run homer to Francisco Alvarez in the second inning, and the 25-year-old right-hander was unable to avoid the loss as the Nationals offense failed to generate any runs. It's the second game in a row that Lord has allowed two runs in four innings of work while taking the loss, and he has a 4.67 ERA, 1.73 WHIP and 13:9 K:BB across 17.1 innings this season. Lord is slated to face the Phillies on the road next week.
Nationals' CJ Abrams: Makes impact in Friday's win
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Abrams went 2-for-5 with a triple, a run scored, two RBI and a stolen base in Friday's win over the Mets.
After going hitless in his return from the IL on Thursday, Abrams led off the ninth inning with a triple that just eluded right fielder Juan Soto at the wall, sparking a two-run, walk-off rally by the Nats. While Abrams' .240 batting average (12-for-50) on the season isn't anything special, he's a perfect 5-for-5 on the basepaths and has been scalding the ball when he's made contact, with seven of his 12 hits going for extra bases (two double, a triple, four homers).
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Nationals' Jose Tena: Three more hits Friday
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Tena went 3-for-4 with two RBI in Friday's win over the Mets.
It's the second three-hit performance this week for Tena, who has seized a strong-side platoon role at third base with Paul DeJong (nose) sidelined. Tena's started five of the last seven games, all against right-handed pitching, and gone 8-for-20 (.400) with two doubles, a triple, three runs and five RBI.
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Nationals' Seaver King: Heating up at High-A
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King went 2-for-4 with his first career professional home run for High-A Wilmington on Friday.
The 22-year-old had a rough start to the season, but King has begun to heat up at the plate. He's hit safely in seven straight games, batting .458 (11-for-24) over that stretch with four steals in four attempts and a 3:5 BB:K. After he served as a super-utility player in college, the Nationals have used King exclusively at shortstop so far since selecting him 10th overall in the 2024 First-Year Player Draft, but that could change at higher levels of the minors. His speed and hit tool are assets, but King's fantasy value will ultimately depend on how much power he develops as he moves up the ladder.
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Nationals' Dylan Crews: Three hits, triple in win
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Crews went 3-for-4 with a triple and three runs scored in Friday's 5-4 win over the Mets.
Crews got the Nats' rally started in the ninth with a leadoff triple off Ryne Stanek, eventually scoring the tying run on Jose Tena's single. After a slow start to the year, Crews now has hits in nine of his last 10 games -- he's gone 13-for-37 (.351) with a 1.044 OPS in that span. Overall, the 23-year-old outfielder is slashing .214/.241/.357 with three homers, five RBI, 16 runs scored and six steals across 87 plate appearances this season.
Finnegan was charged with a blown save Friday against the Mets, allowing one hit in one-third of an inning.
Finnegan was tasked with securing a four-out save Friday, inheriting a bases-loaded jam with two outs in the eighth. He gave up a bloop hit to Mark Vientos that went past a diving Dylan Crews, resulting in a three-run triple. While it was no real fault of his own, it still goes down as the first blown save of the year for Finnegan. The veteran closer has gotten off to a strong start this season, converting nine saves while posting a 1.64 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and 13:6 K:BB across his first 11 innings.
Irvin did not factor into the decision Friday against the Mets, allowing one run on five hits and a walk over 7.1 innings. He struck out four.
Irvin held the Mets off the board through seven innings before the Nats' bullpen allowed an inherited run to score in the eighth. The 28-year-old Irvin has been stellar in his last three outings, allowing just three runs on 11 hits across 20.2 innings in that span. His ERA is down to 3.19 through six starts (36.2 innings) this year with a 1.01 WHIP and 31:8 K:BB. Irvin will look to keep rolling in his next outing, tentatively scheduled for next week in Philadelphia.
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Nationals' Zach Brzykcy: Reinstated, optioned to Triple-A
Rotowire
The Nationals reinstated Brzykcy (quadriceps) from the 15-day injured list Friday and optioned him to Triple-A Rochester.
The right-hander was sidelined for the first month of the campaign due to a quadriceps strain, but he won't join the big club upon the completion of his four-game rehab assignment. Brzykcy received his first taste of the majors last season with six relief appearances and gave up nine earned runs over 5.2 innings.
Nationals' Cole Henry: Impressive start to MLB career
Rotowire
Henry walked one and struck out four over two scoreless, no-hit relief innings in Thursday's loss to the Orioles.
The 25-year-old right-hander has had an injury-marred pro career since being selected in the second round of the 2020 First-Year Player Draft, but Henry has looked good so far in a relief role with the Nationals. Through four appearances, he has yet to allow a run while posting a 0.64 WHIP and 8:1 K:BB. Washington's bullpen remains unsettled behind closer Kyle Finnegan, so Henry has a clear path to a high-leverage spot if he can keep stacking zeros -- he entered Thursday's contest in the eighth inning with the Nats down by a run.
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Nationals' CJ Abrams: Hitless in return
Rotowire
Abrams went 0-for-4 with a strikeout in Thursday's loss to the Orioles.
Activated off the IL earlier in the day after recovering from a hip strain, Abrams was back in his usual leadoff spot in his return. The 24-year-old shortstop has racked up counting stats to begin the season with four homers, four steals, six runs and seven RBI through just 12 games, but his .222/.265/.533 slash line reflects his career-worst 26.0 percent strikeout rate so far.
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Nationals' MacKenzie Gore: Takes loss despite quality start
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Gore (2-3) came away with the loss against the Orioles on Thursday. He allowed two runs on four hits and one walk while striking out eight across six innings.
Gore faced the minimum number of batters in three of the first four innings. He gave up both of his runs in the fifth frame, and while he bounced back to retire the side in the sixth, Gore wasn't able to get enough run support from the Nationals' offense to avoid the loss. Gore generated 14 whiffs in 99 pitches (66 strikes), and his 53 strikeouts leads the majors. He'll look to get back in the win column next week on the road against the Phillies.
Cavalli (elbow) threw five shutout innings while allowing two hits and one walk with four strikeouts across five innings with Double-A Harrisburg on Thursday, Spencer Nusbaum of The Washington Post reports.
Cavalli has had a long recovery from Tommy John surgery, which included some time dealing with a dead arm last summer, but he has looked good through two rehab outings. He ramped up to 69 pitches Thursday, 43 of which went for strikes. Cavalli will likely remain on the injured list until mid-May but will continue to build up in the minors.
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Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Moves rehab to Double-A
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Cavalli (elbow) will make his next rehab start Thursday with Double-A Harrisburg, Spencer Nusbaum of The Washington Post reports.
Cavalli will get a tougher test for his second outing in the minors after he reported to Single-A Fredericksburg for the beginning of his rehab assignment and struck out three batters over four scoreless innings during his lone outing with the affiliate last Saturday. The right-hander was out for most of the previous two seasons while recovering from Tommy John surgery and also missed time last summer while going through a "dead arm" phase, so the Nationals will likely keep him on his rehab assignment for the entire 30-day window. Washington doesn't appear to have a rotation spot available for Cavalli at the big-league level, so the 26-year-old will likely be optioned to Triple-A Rochester once he's activated from the 15-day injured list.
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Nationals' Zach Brzykcy: Shifting rehab to Triple-A
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Brzykcy (quadricep) will shift his rehab assignment Thursday from High-A Wilmington to Triple-A Rochester, Spencer Nusbaum of The Washington Post reports.
Brzykcy will move on to the third affiliate of his rehab assignment after striking out five batters across three scoreless innings in three appearances between stints with Single-A Fredericksburg and Wilmington. The righty reliever has been on the shelf all season while recovering from a right quad strain, but he could be ready to make his 2025 debut with the Nationals at some point next week.
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Nationals' Paul DeJong: Will have surgery on broken nose
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Nationals manager Dave Martinez said Thursday that DeJong will undergo surgery to repair his fractured nose, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
DeJong also visited an eye specialist Thursday and was cleared of any issues there. The veteran infielder went on the 10-day injured list last week after a Mitch Keller pitch struck him in the face and broke his nose. It appears DeJong has avoided any additional injuries, but there's no timetable for his return.
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