WASHINGTON NATIONALS NEWS

Cesar Hernandez - Dropped from leadoff spot Hernandez will start at second base and hit seventh in Saturday's game against the Giants.

Impact Hernandez occupied the leadoff spot in Washington's first 16 games of the season, but he went just 3-for-26 (.115) and did not take even one walk over his las six appearances. As a result, he will be bumped down the order for at least one game, and Lane Thomas will lead off for the Nationals instead.

APRIL 23, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Maikel Franco - Swats second homer Franco went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Friday's loss to the Giants.

Impact The veteran third baseman took Yunior Marte deep in the eighth inning for the Nationals' only run of the night. Franco has had a decent start to his tenure with Washington, slashing .263/.295/.421 through 16 games with two homers and 10 RBI.

APRIL 23, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Patrick Murphy - Designated for assignment Murphy was designated for assignment by the Nationals on Saturday.

Impact Murphy earned a place in the Nationals' bullpen during spring training and appeared in six games, but the club decided to remove him from the roster to open up a spot for fellow pitcher Aaron Sanchez.

APRIL 23, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Aaron Sanchez - Called up for Saturday start Sanchez's contract was purchased from Triple-A Rochester on Saturday.

Impact Sanchez did not break camp with the big club, but the Nationals needed a starter for Saturday's game against the Giants, and he will be the pitcher who takes the spot. The Giants will have some familiarity with Sanchez, as he appeared in nine games for the club last season and posted a 3.06 ERA and 1.33 WHIP over 35.1 innings.

APRIL 23, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Early in the season, reliever injuries are mounting for Nationals Nationals are already without Sean Doolittle, Mason Thompson and Hunter Harvey.

APRIL 23, 2022 • WASHINGTONPOST.COM

Nationals aim to break 3-game losing streak, play the Giants

The Washington Nationals look to break their three-game skid when they play the San Francisco Giants

APRIL 23, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Soto collects career hit No. 500: 'happy to keep going' WASHINGTON -- Ten days after homering his way to a career milestone, Juan Soto reached another notable mark. On Friday in the series opener...

APRIL 23, 2022 • MLB.COM

Nats angered by Kapler's late aggression in Giants' 7-1 win

Austin Slater smacked a three-run homer as part of a seven-run second inning against struggling Washington starter Patrick Corbin, and the San Francisco Giants cruised past the Nat...

APRIL 23, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Patrick Corbin - Blasted in short outing Corbin (0-3) allowed seven runs on seven hits and three walks over 1.2 innings Friday, striking out four and taking a loss against the Giants.

Impact All seven runs against Corbin crossed home during the second inning. Most of the damage came from Austin Slater's three-run homer followed by Brandon Crawford's three-run double that knocked him from the game. The 32-year-old southpaw is now sporting a brutal 11.20 ERA through four starts this season. Corbin is currently lined up for a rematch with the Giants next week in San Francisco.

APRIL 23, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Nationals keep scrambling as Patrick Corbin has another nightmare start The Giants pounced on the struggling pitcher, raising questions of how Washington should proceed with him.

APRIL 23, 2022 • WASHINGTONPOST.COM

Aaron Sanchez - Promotion coming Saturday Sanchez is expected to have his contract selected from Triple-A Rochester on Saturday, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

Impact Washington has an open spot in the rotation Saturday due to a postponement and doubleheader earlier this week, and Sanchez will join the club after missing out on the Opening Day roster. It's unclear whether the right-hander will fill that rotation spot, but he's likely to pitch Saturday in some capacity. The 29-year-old has made three starts at the Triple-A level this year and has a 3.60 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 10:5 K:BB over 15 innings.

APRIL 22, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Will Harris - Nearing throwing program Harris (pectoral) is expected to resume throwing around May 1, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

Impact Harris underwent right pectoral surgery March 31 and began the season on the 60-day injured list. While he won't be eligible to return to game action, he'll resume throwing after being shut down for a month. Since the right-hander was also limited during spring training, he'll likely require time to ramp up before he's able to begin a rehab assignment.

APRIL 22, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Joe Ross - Tosses bullpen session Ross (elbow) threw a 30-pitch bullpen session Friday, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

Impact Ross was expected to require 6-to-8 weeks to recover after undergoing a procedure to remove a bone spur from his elbow in March, but he won't be eligible to return to major-league game action until at least early June since he's on the 60-day IL. While the right-hander still needs to work on building up, he appears to be trending in the right direction.

APRIL 22, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Stephen Strasburg - Throws bullpen session Strasburg (neck) threw a 30-pitch bullpen session Friday, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

Impact Strasburg hasn't yet resumed facing hitters and has been limited to mound work recently. The Nationals haven't yet indicated when the right-hander will be able to return to game action, but he'll presumably require several weeks to build up once he's cleared to face hitters. A better recovery timetable will likely come into focus once he's able to ramp up his throwing program.

APRIL 22, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Hunter Harvey - Hopes to resume throwing soon Harvey (forearm) said Friday that he hopes to resume throwing in a few days, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Impact Harvey was placed on the 10-day injured list Thursday due to a pronator strain in his right arm, but he compared the issue to a cramp and said that it isn't painful. However, he said that he encountered more serious injuries when pitching through similar issues in the past, so he's been shut down as a precautionary measure. As long as Harvey is able to resume throwing soon, he'll likely have a chance to return following a brief absence.

APRIL 22, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Yadiel Hernandez - Sits against southpaw Hernandez will be on the bench Friday against the Giants, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Impact Hernandez will hit the bench against lefty Sam Long. He's now sat against all five lefties the Nationals have faced this season but has been in the lineup against eight out of 11 righties. Lane Thomas will be the left fielder Friday.

APRIL 22, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Diamondbacks find more offense, leave Washington with even series Cooper Hummel's tiebreaking two-run home run held up in the Diamondbacks' 4-3 win over the Washington Nationals on Thursday.

APRIL 22, 2022 • AZCENTRAL.COM

Joan Adon 'worked his rear end off' to get to Nationals Park Adon, a 23-year-old pitcher, is settling in with the Nationals.

APRIL 22, 2022 • WASHINGTONPOST.COM

Austin Voth - Fans side Thursday Voth allowed one hit and struck out three in a scoreless inning of relief during Thursday's loss to the Diamondbacks.

Impact Entering the game in the seventh inning with the Nationals down 4-2, Voth put together his best outing of the season to date. After stumbling out of the gate and coughing up six runs (five earned) over his first three appearances, the right-hander has turned things around with a 0.00 ERA and 6:0 K:BB over his last four innings. Voth will need to prove his control and command issues are behind him before he'll work his way into a higher-leverage role, however -- between 2020 and 2021, he served up 24 homers in only 107 big-league innings while issuing 46 free passes.

APRIL 22, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Nelson Cruz - Belts second homer in loss Cruz went 1-of-4 with a hime run, two walks and two RBI in Thursday's 4-3 loss to the Nationals.

Impact Cruz went yard for the second time this season but his numbers during the series with the Diamondbacks have been less than stellar, going only 3-for-13 over the four-game stint.

APRIL 22, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Josh Rogers - Surrenders three homers in loss Rogers (1-2) allowed six hits, four runs and a wlk including three home runs while recording one strikeout over4.1 innings in Thursday's 4-3 loss to the Diamondbacks.

Impact Rogers had yet to allow a hime run over two starting appearances, but that trend ended in a bog way agains Arizona. He continues to trend downward after beginning the season with an encouraging performance against Atlanta. Although he will hold on to a spot in the rotation for now, the Nationals have a host of pitchers coming off the IL in the coming weeks, making him a risky fantasy add if he continues to underperform.

APRIL 22, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Giants visit the Nationals to begin 3-game series

The Washington Nationals host the San Francisco Giants to open a three-game series

APRIL 22, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Long balls burn the Nationals, who settle for a split with the D'backs Washington threatened in the final two innings but couldn't get the job done in a 4-3 loss.

APRIL 21, 2022 • WASHINGTONPOST.COM

Melancon gets Soto in 9th, Dbacks hold off Nats 4-3

Arizona closer Mark Melancon retired Juan Soto with the bases loaded in the ninth inning, helping Cooper Hummel’s tiebreaking two-run home run hold up in the Diamondbacks’ 4-3 win...

APRIL 21, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Nationals place pitcher Hunter Harvey on 10-day injured list

The Washington Nationals have placed reliever Hunter Harvey on the 10-day injured list with a right pronator strain and promoted right-hander Erasmo Ramírez from Triple-A Rochester

APRIL 21, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS