WASHINGTON NATIONALS NEWS

Nelson Cruz - Late scratch Tuesday Cruz was scratched from Tuesday's lineup against Atlanta for unspecified reasons.

Impact Cruz was penciled in to bat third as the designated hitter but was removed from the lineup shortly before first pitch. The reason for the veteran slugger's absence is unclear, though his status should be updated by the team in the near future. Yadiel Hernandez will shift to designated hitter while Lane Thomas enters the lineup in left field.

APRIL 12, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Aníbal Sánchez - To miss at least one more start Sanchez (neck) won't be ready to return from the injured list for his next start, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

Impact Sanchez earned a spot in the Nationals' Opening Day rotation but hit the injured list with neck stiffness prior to making his first start of the year. He'll miss at least one more turn in the rotation, with his expected return date still unclear. Josh Rogers is expected to remain in his spot for now.

APRIL 12, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Lane Thomas - Back on bench Thomas will sit Tuesday against Atlanta.

Impact Thomas impressed down the stretch last season, but the Nationals don't seem to view him as a full-time player. He's alternated between the lineup and the bench over the team's first six games, going 2-for-12 with seven strikeouts. Yadiel Hernandez will receive another start in left field Tuesday.

APRIL 12, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Alcides Escobar - Not in Tuesday's lineup Escobar will sit Tuesday against Atlanta.

Impact Escobar started the first three games of the season but now finds himself on the bench for the second time in three days. He's gone just 1-for-15 at the plate thus far, striking out seven times. Lucius Fox will take over at shortstop.

APRIL 12, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Lane Thomas - Drives in three Monday Thomas went 2-for-5 with a double, a run scored and three RBI in Monday's 11-2 rout of Atlanta.

Impact The outfielder broke out after an 0-for-7 start to the season. Thomas did strike out in his other three at-bats Monday, however, and he sports a 1:7 BB:K through four games, something he'll need to improve on if he wants to hang onto a starting job.

APRIL 12, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Maikel Franco - Huge game in Monday's win Franco went 4-for-5 with a double, a home run and five RBI in Monday's 11-2 rout of Atlanta.

Impact The veteran third baseman had the big blow in a five-run third inning for the Nationals with a two-run homer, but Franco's name was all over the box score Monday. The long ball was not only his first of the season, it was his first since last July, as he looks to shake off a rough 2021 campaign.

APRIL 12, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Josh Rogers - Stifles Atlanta in Monday's win Rogers (1-0) picked up the win in Monday's 11-2 rout of Atlanta, allowing one run on two hits and two walks over 5.1 innings. he struck out three.

Impact The unheralded lefty doesn't have the kind of raw stuff that turns scouts' heads, but Rogers just keeps getting the job done in the majors. The 27-year-old tossed 46 of 74 pitches for strikes and handcuffed a powerful Atlanta lineup completely after the first inning. Given all the injuries in the Nationals' rotation at the moment, Rogers has a chance to win a regular spot if he keeps producing. His next start is scheduled for Saturday in Pittsburgh.

APRIL 12, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Analysis ' The Washington Nationals might be for sale. Then what? From who a potential owner might be to what it would mean for the on-field product, the Lerners' announcement raises plenty of questions. An...

APRIL 12, 2022 • WASHINGTONPOST.COM

Nationals take on the Braves after Franco's 4-hit game

The Washington Nationals play the Atlanta Braves after Maikel Franco's four-hit game on Monday

APRIL 12, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Franco has 4 hits, drives in 5 as Nats trounce Braves 11-2

Maikel Franco drove in five runs with four hits, including a two-run homer as the Washington Nationals beat Huascar Ynoa and the Atlanta Braves 11-2

APRIL 12, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Lane Thomas puts his foot down as the Nationals blow out the champs After a rough start to the season, the outfielder figured some things out Monday night as the Nationals thumped the Braves in Atlanta.

APRIL 12, 2022 • WASHINGTONPOST.COM

Lerner family exploring selling MLB's Washington Nationals

The Lerner family that has owned the Washington Nationals since 2006 is exploring the possibility of selling the Major League Baseball franchise

APRIL 11, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Victor Robles - Takes seat Monday Robles isn't starting Monday's game against Atlanta, Matt Weyrich of NBC Sports Washington

Impact Robles has gone 0-for-8 with four strikeouts to begin the season, and he'll be out of the lineup for the second time in the last four games. Lane Thomas will shift to center field while Yadiel Hernandez starts in left.

APRIL 11, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Nationals vs Braves Prediction, Odds, Probable Pitchers, Betting Lines & Spread for MLB Game on FanDuel Sportsbook Nationals vs Braves Game Info 2022 MLB Regular Season Game Washington Nationals (1-3, 0-0 Away) vs. Atlanta Braves (2-2, 2-2 Home) Date: Mon...

APRIL 11, 2022 • FANDUEL.COM

Aníbal Sánchez - Hits injured list Sanchez was placed on the 10-day injured list Monday with a cervical nerve impingement in his neck, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

Impact Sanchez had been scheduled to make his season debut Monday against Atlanta, but that assignment will now go to Josh Rogers instead. It's not yet clear if Sanchez will be forced to miss more than one start.

APRIL 11, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Josh Rogers - Recalled ahead of start Rogers was recalled by the Nationals on Monday ahead of his season debut in Atlanta, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

Impact Rogers didn't win a spot in the Opening Day rotation but will nonetheless be needed for the fifth game of the year with Anibal Sanchez (neck) hitting the injured list. Rogers managed a 3.28 ERA in six starts last season, but his underlying numbers don't support that number at all. His 14.6 percent strikeout rate and 29.7 percent groundball rate were both far too low, and he's unlikely to have much success if he keeps allowing that much contact in the air. The lefty's 5.83 FIP and 6.00 xFIP give some idea of what can be expected if he doesn't start missing more bats, something his 15.6 percent strikeout rate at Triple-A last year suggests will be difficult to do.

APRIL 11, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Sean Doolittle - Looking good early Doolittle struck out two in a perfect seventh inning during Sunday's win over the Mets.

Impact The Nationals were down 2-1 when the veteran southpaw entered the game in relief of Steve Cishek with runners on first and second and nobody out, but he fired eight of nine pitches for strikes to end the threat and set the stage for a Washington rally in the eighth. Doolittle topped out at 94.9 mph with his final fastball, and the 35-year-old may have returned to something close to the form that saw him rack up 75 saves for the Nats from 2017-19. For now, Doolittle will be part of the setup crew behind Tanner Rainey, but the closer situation is volatile enough that he could find himself working the ninth before long.

APRIL 11, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Kyle Finnegan - Nabs win Sunday Finnegan (1-0) picked up the win in Sunday's victory over the Mets, striking out one in a perfect eighth inning.

Impact The right-hander entered the game with the Nationals down 2-1 and needed only nine pitches to shut down New York, and Finnegan got rewarded for his work when Washington rallied for three runs in the bottom of the frame. Tanner Rainey worked the ninth and appears first in line for save chances, but Finnegan could see opportunities too if he keeps pitching well.

APRIL 11, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Lucius Fox - Contributes in first career start Fox went 0-for-2 with a run scored and an RBI in Sunday's win over the Mets.

Impact Making his first career start in the majors, Fox was a key figure in the Nationals' three-run rally in the bottom of the eighth inning, bringing home Dee Strange-Gordon with a sacrifice bunt and reaching first when Pete Alonso's throw went to the plate, then scoring the winning run on a Nelson Cruz single. Fox profiles as little more than a utility infielder, but with the Nats in rebuild mode, the 24-year-old could get more playing time than expected if he sticks around on the big-league roster.

APRIL 11, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Nelson Cruz - Mashes 450th homer Cruz went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI in Sunday's win over the Mets.

Impact The seemingly ageless Cruz took Carlos Carrasco deep for a solo shot in the first inning, his first homer and first RBI as a member of the Nationals and the 450th of his career. That total puts him third among active players behind Albert Pujols and Miguel Cabrera, and 40th on MLB's all-time list. Cruz capped his big day with the game-winning hit, a two-run single in the bottom of the eighth. Next milestone up for the 41-year-old is his 1,250th career RBI, a figure he's only nine away from.

APRIL 11, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Nationals visit the Braves to begin 3-game series

The Atlanta Braves open a three-game series at home against the Washington Nationals on Monday

APRIL 11, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Cruz's three RBIs lift Nationals past Mets to avert series sweep Nelson Cruz hit his 450th career home run and added a tiebreaking two-run single in a three-run eighth inning that lifted the Washington Nat...

APRIL 11, 2022 • ORLANDOSENTINEL.COM

With a three-run rally, the Nationals find a way to their first win Rookie Lucius Fox had a key squeeze bunt and Nelson Cruz followed with the winning hit as the Nationals rallied past the Mets in the eighth...

APRIL 10, 2022 • WASHINGTONPOST.COM

Tanner Rainey - Nails down first save of 2022 Rainey worked around a hit to throw a scoreless ninth inning and earn the save Sunday against the Mets.

Impact Manager Dave Martinez didn't name a closer coming into the season, but he did tell MASN Sports back in mid-March that he would "love" for Rainey to show he's ready to close. The early returns are promising. Kyle Finnegan worked the eighth inning Sunday, setting up the save chance for Rainey.

APRIL 10, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Erick Fedde - Fans five in no-decision Fedde allowed two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out five over five innings in a no-decision against the Mets on Sunday.

Impact Fedde served up a homer to Francisco Lindor in the fourth and allowed an RBI single to Mark Canha later in that same frame, but the right-hander kept New York off the board in his other four innings of work. He racked up five strikeouts on the strength of 12 swinging strikes. Fedde is in line for a favorable road matchup in Pittsburgh next week, but remember this is a pitcher with a career WHIP pushing 1.50.

APRIL 10, 2022 • ROTOWIRE