MARCH 29, 2022 • WASHINGTONPOST.COM
WASHINGTON NATIONALS 71-91 · 4TH IN NL EAST
71-91 · 4TH IN NL EAST
Lane Thomas has a clear plan to improve his outfield defense for Nationals Thomas could start in left or center, depending on what Dave Martinez does with his outfield.
MLB All-Under-25 Team: Ronald Acuña Jr., Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Juan Soto and more young big-league talent Only players who have yet to reach their 25th birthday by Opening Day are eligible for this team.
MARCH 29, 2022 • THEATHLETIC.COM
Perspective ' Josiah Gray and Keibert Ruiz bring the Nats back to the days of discovery Remember the fun in baseball's intriguing unknown? Josiah Gray and Keibert Ruiz will remind you.
MARCH 29, 2022 • WASHINGTONPOST.COM
How Juan Soto can get even better in '22 Juan Soto had yet another career year in 2021. Building off an otherworldly 47 games in the shortened 2020 season, he showed that performanc...
MARCH 29, 2022 • MLB.COM
Adríán Sanchez - Headed to minor-league camp The Nationals reassigned Sanchez to minor-league camp Monday, Matt Weyrich of NBC Sports Washington reports.
Impact Though he's been a member of the organization since signing with the Nationals as a teenager out of Venezuela in 2007, the now-31-year-old Sanchez has just 204 plate appearances at the MLB level to his name. After having now been outrighted off the 40-man roster on two occasions since 2020, Sanchez looks to be little more than organizational infield depth at this stage of his career. He'll likely report to Triple-A Syracuse when the minor-league season opens in April.
MARCH 28, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
Taylor Gushue - Headed for minors camp The Nationals reassigned Gushue to minor-league camp Monday, Matt Weyrich of NBC Sports Washington reports.
Impact Gushue made his MLB debut with the Cubs in 2021, seeing action in two games. He was outrighted off the 40-man roster in July and elected free agency this offseason before signing with the Nationals on a minor-league deal in February. Gushue is expected to serve as organizational catching depth at Triple-A Rochester for most of the 2022 season.
MARCH 28, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
Jacob Noll - Sent to MiLB camp The Nationals reassigned Noll to minor-league camp Monday, Matt Weyrich of NBC Sports Washington reports.
Impact Noll received 30 plate appearances at the big-league level with the Nationals between the 2019 and 2020 seasons, but he played exclusively at Triple-A Rochester in 2021. Even after posting a solid .840 OPS for Rochester last season, the 28-year-old expected to spent the majority of the upcoming campaign with the affiliate.
MARCH 28, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
Erasmo Ramírez - Part of Monday's cuts The Nationals reassigned Ramirez to minor-league camp Monday, Matt Weyrich of NBC Sports Washington reports.
Impact Ramirez is expected to begin the season as a member of the rotation at Triple-A Rochester. He made 17 relief appearances at the big-league level for the Tigers in 2021, logging a 5.74 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 20:5 K:BB across 26.2 innings.
MARCH 28, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
Reed Garrett - Gets cut Monday The Nationals reassigned Garrett to minor-league camp Monday, Matt Weyrich of NBC Sports Washington reports.
Impact Garrett fell short in his bid for the Nationals' Opening Day bullpen and is expected to begin the season at Triple-A Rochester. The 29-year-old right-hander's lone MLB action came with the Tigers in 2019, when he turned in an 8.22 ERA over 15.1 innings.
MARCH 28, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
Richard Ureña - Moves to minor-league camp The Nationals reassigned Urena to minor-league camp Monday, Matt Weyrich of NBC Sports Washington reports.
Impact Urena joined Washington on a minor-league deal in November and was unable to show enough during spring training to warrant serious consideration for a spot on the Opening Day roster. He's seen most of his action in the middle infield, primarily shortstop, but also saw time at third base in camp with the Nationals. Urena appeared in 92 games at the Triple-A level in 2021 and hit .272/.310/.435 with nine home runs, 41 runs and 49 RBI.
MARCH 28, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
Gerardo Carrillo - Sent down Monday Carrillo was optioned to Triple-A Rochester on Monday, Matt Weyrich of NBC Sports Washington reports.
Impact Carrillo spent the entire 2021 campaign at the Double-A level and posted a 4.76 ERA and 1.44 WHIP in 96.1 innings across 23 appearances (22 starts). The right-hander should advance in the minors this year but will need to display better results if he hopes to make his major-league debut.
MARCH 28, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
Lucius Fox - Sent to Triple-A Fox was optioned to Triple-A Rochester on Monday, Matt Weyrich of NBC Sports Washington reports.
Impact Fox was claimed off waivers by the Nationals just before the start of the lockout but was never likely to make the Opening Day roster. The 24-year-old has yet to make his major-league debut and hit .242/.347/.363 with four home runs, 21 RBI and 19 stolen bases in 57 games at the Triple-A level last season.
MARCH 28, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
Luis García - Optioned to Triple-A The Nationals optioned Garcia to Triple-A Rochester on Monday, Matt Weyrich of NBC Sports Washington reports.
Impact Manager Dave Martinez said over the weekend the young infielder was unlikely to make Washington's Opening Day roster, and Garcia was then included among nine players cut from big-league camp Monday. The 22-year-old appeared in 70 major-league games last season and hit .242/.275/.411 with six home runs and 22 RBI in 247 plate appearances. Garcia is likely to see the big leagues at some point in 2022, but Alcides Escobar and Cesar Hernandez are set to open the campaign as the starters in the middle infield, with Ehire Adrianza filling a utility role.
MARCH 28, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
Marlins 8, Nationals 1
MARCH 28, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
Clippard overjoyed to be 'home' with Nats WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Right-hander Tyler Clippard walked into the Nationals' clubhouse on Monday morning and the smile on his face was ob...
MARCH 28, 2022 • MLB.COM
Donovan Casey - Back in MiLB camp The Nationals optioned Casey to Triple-A Rochester on Wednesday, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Impact Following his acquisition last July in the deal that sent Trea Turner and Max Scherzer to the Dodgers, Casey struggled in his initial exposure to the Triple-A level. Over 147 plate appearances at Rochester, Casey struggled to the tune of a .179/.245/.291 slash line while striking out 38.8 percent of the time. The Nationals will likely want to see Casey have some success at the Triple-A level before potentially giving him the chance to make his MLB debut later in 2022.
MARCH 28, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
Jake Irvin - Healthy in camp Irvin (elbow) is fully healthy and has pitched well during spring training, Lacy Lusk of Baseball America reports.
Impact Irvin underwent Tommy John surgery in October 2020 but is now fully recovered entering this season. He last saw game action at the Low-A level in 2019 and had a 4.00 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 113:38 K:BB over 128.1 innings.
MARCH 27, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
Lane Thomas - Goes yard Saturday Thomas went 2-for-2 with a walk and a two-run home run in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Mets.
Impact His fourth-inning blast off David Peterson was Thomas' first homer of the spring. The 26-year-old had some surprising success with the Nationals last season after being picked up from the Cardinals in a trade for Jon Lester, posting an .853 OPS with seven homers and four steals in 45 games with Washington, and Thomas is penciled in as the Opening Day left fielder for the Nats.
MARCH 27, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
Erick Fedde - Solid start to spring Fedde allowed one hit over 2.2 scoreless innings in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Mets. He struck out two and walked two.
Impact The right-hander is expected to hold down a spot in a Nationals rotation that is a shadow of its former self, and so far this spring Fedde isn't doing anything to jeopardize that assignment. Through 4.2 innings over two outings, he has yet to give up a run, though his 3:3 K:BB isn't exactly dominant. Fedde's numbers in the big leagues are just as marginal, but he did post career bests in strikeout rate (21.7 percent) and walk rate (8.1 percent) last season, so the 29-year-old may be able to take another step forward in 2022.
MARCH 27, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
Mets 4, Nationals 2
MARCH 26, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
Nationals bring back Tyler Clippard on a minors deal Clippard, a 15-year veteran, pitched for the Nationals from 2008 to 2014.
MARCH 26, 2022 • WASHINGTONPOST.COM
Clippard returns to Nats on Minors deal PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- Eight years since last wearing a curly ‘W,’ right-handed reliever Tyler Clippard is donning the uniform for the team...
MARCH 26, 2022 • MLB.COM
Cade Cavalli - Could be in running for rotation Cavalli gave up three runs on five hits over three-plus innings in Friday's Grapefruit League start against the Cardinals, striking out three without walking a batter. After the ga...
Impact The 23-year-old right-hander breezed through the first inning before running into trouble in the second after Nolan Arenado led off the frame with a double. Cavalli eventually squelched that St. Louis rally by picking Harrison Bader off second base then inducing two weak grounders, before rebounding for a 1-2-3 third that included a strikeout of Paul Goldschmidt. Starting the season at Triple-A Rochester remains the most likely path for Washington's top prospect, but the Nats lost Max Scherzer in the offseason and Stephen Strasburg (neck) may not return until mid-May, so the team has plenty of innings up for grabs. If Cavalli impresses Martinez again in his next outing, the decision on sending him back to the minors could get a lot tougher.
MARCH 26, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
Tyler Clippard - Signs minor-league contract Clippard signed a minor-league contract with the Nationals on Saturday that includes an invite to major-league spring training, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Impact Clippard made 26 appearances for the Diamondbacks last year and posted a 3.20 ERA and 1.30 WHIP in 25.1 innings before his mutual option was declined by the team in early November. The right-hander has already thrown eight live bullpens this spring and hopes to appear in some Grapefruit League games prior to the end of camp.
MARCH 26, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
Luis García - Unlikely to make Opening Day roster Manager Dave Martinez indicated Saturday that Garcia will likely begin the season at Triple-A Rochester, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.
Impact While Martinez didn't explicitly commit to Garcia starting the regular season in the minors, he referred to the 21-year-old as the "future" middle infielder for the Nationals and said that he wants Garcia to get regular at-bats somewhere. Garcia has appeared in five spring games this year and has gone 1-for-9 with a double, a run, an RBI, a stolen base and three strikeouts. Assuming Garcia reports to the minors ahead of Opening Day, Ehire Adrianza would likely be in line to serve as one of the top utility options for Washington.
MARCH 26, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
