WASHINGTON NATIONALS NEWS

Jefry Rodriguez - Banished to MiLB camp The Nationals reassigned Rodriguez to minor-league camp Tuesday, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Impact Rodriguez was among the 10 players sent to minor-league camp during Washington's first wave of spring cuts. After logging a 5.92 ERA over 24.1 innings with the big club in 2021, Rodriguez is expected to open the season as a member of the Triple-A Rochester rotation.

MARCH 22, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Yasel Antuna - Moved to minor-league camp The Nationals optioned Antuna to Triple-A Rochester on Tuesday, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Impact He was one of four players optioned among the Nationals' first cuts of big-league camp, joining pitchers Seth Romero (back), Gabe Klobosits and Evan Lee. The 22-year-old Antuna spent the entire 2021 campaign at High-A Wilmington, hitting .227 with 12 home runs and four stolen bases over 456 plate appearances.

MARCH 22, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Gabe Klobosits - Sent packing from big-league camp Washington optioned Klobosits to Triple-A Rochester on Tuesday, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Impact He was one of four players optioned among the Nationals' first cuts of big-league camp, joining pitchers Seth Romero (back) and Evan Lee along with outfielder Yasel Antuna. The 26-year-old right-hander reached the big leagues for the first time in 2021, appearing in 11 games for the Nationals while giving up seven earned runs on 13 hits and five walks over 11.1 innings.

MARCH 22, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Evan Lee - Sent to Triple-A Washington optioned Lee to Triple-A Rochester on Tuesday, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Impact He was one of four players optioned among the Nationals' first cuts of big-league camp, joining pitchers Seth Romero (back) and Gabe Klobosits along with outfielder Yasel Antuna. Lee spent the entire 2021 campaign at High-A Wilmington, logging a 4.32 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 104:32 K:BB in 77 innings.

MARCH 22, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Seth Romero - Demoted to Triple-A The Nationals optioned Romero (back) to Triple-A Rochester on Tuesday, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Impact Romero didn't pitch for the big club in 2021 and had yet to appear for the Nationals during the Grapefruit League while he contended with back soreness, so his demotion doesn't come as a surprise. Assuming the back issue proves to be a short-term concern, Romero should be ready to go for the start of the Triple-A season in early April.

MARCH 22, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Carter Kieboom - Has sprained UCL Kieboom has been diagnosed with a sprained UCL in his elbow in addition to a flexor mass strain in his forearm, Chelsea Janes of The Washington Post reports.

Impact The additional issue helps explain why the Nationals placed him on the 60-day IL. Kieboom will be shut down and rested for at least six weeks before being allowed to resume baseball activities, so his absence could extend well past 60 days, but the club is hoping he will be able to avoid Tommy John surgery -- which would be the likely next step if the ligament strain becomes a full tear. Non-roster invitee Maikel Franco is the current favorite to see most of the playing time at third base while Kieboom is out of action.

MARCH 22, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Luis García - Dealing with stomach flu Garcia was removed from Monday's starting lineup against St. Louis due to a stomach bug, Joe Trezza of MLB.com reports.

Impact This is reassuring news for the Nationals, as Garcia will likely miss only a few days at most while recovering. While he is younger and more likely to be a part of the next good Nationals team than Cesar Hernandez or Alcides Escobar, it sounds like Garcia needs to go out and win a starting spot this spring, otherwise he will open the year at Triple-A.

MARCH 22, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Cardinals 7, Nationals 3

MARCH 22, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Luis García - Scratched from lineup Garcia has been scratched from Monday's Grapefruit League lineup against the Cardinals for an unspecified reason.

Impact Garcia was initially slated to play shortstop and bat ninth Monday, and it's not clear whether his removal from the lineup is due to an injury. Lucius Fox will take over at shortstop while batting ninth.

MARCH 21, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Nationals claim hard-throwing, oft-injured Hunter Harvey off waivers from Giants Washington also lost righty Jhon Romero to the Minnesota Twins and moved third baseman Carter Kieboom to the 60-day injured list.

MARCH 21, 2022 • WASHINGTONPOST.COM

Stephen Strasburg - Not yet ready for live games Strasburg (neck) has been building up but is not yet ready to pitch in a Grapefruit League game, Joe Trezza of MLB.com reports.

Impact Past reports suggested Strasburg may not be ready for Opening Day as he looks to build up cautiously after missing most of last season due to thoracic outlet syndrome. That still appears to be the case. He threw live batting practice last week and will throw a similar session again soon, but his timeline for an in-game appearance remains unclear.

MARCH 21, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Hunter Harvey - Claimed by Nationals Harvey (triceps) was claimed off waivers by Washington on Monday, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Impact Harvey has plenty of talent, but injuries have wrecked his career thus far, holding the 2013 first-round pick to 23.2 career major-league innings, including 8.2 in each of the last two seasons. He's already on his third team of the offseason, as he's been waived by both the Orioles and Giants. His talent should continue to earn him chances, but his unreliability means no team is likely to be particularly invested in him.

MARCH 21, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Carter Kieboom - Placed on 60-day injured list Kieboom (elbow) was placed on the 60-day injured list Monday, Matt Weyrich of NBC Sports Washington reports.

Impact Kieboom was diagnosed with a flexor mass strain in his right forearm this weekend, and the issue will force him to miss the first two months of the regular season. Maikel Franco is now the favorite to begin the year as Washington's primary third baseman, but Kieboom will be in the mix for the role once he's cleared to return.

MARCH 21, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Kyle Schwarber fits in nicely with the Phillies

Kyle Schwarber loves to hit in Citizens Bank Park and enjoys eating cheesesteaks

MARCH 21, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Cade Cavalli - Dominant in Sunday's appearance Cavalli gave up one hit and struck out six over three scoreless innings during Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros.

Impact The 23-year-old right-hander entered the game in the seventh inning and wasn't facing any of Houston's big-league bats, but it was still a very impressive performance from Cavalli. After scuffling a bit over six starts at Triple-A Rochester at the end of last season, the Nationals' top prospect is expected to return to that level to kick off 2022, but if he keeps dealing this spring there's a chance he could break camp in the big-league rotation as a fill-in for Stephen Strasburg (neck). Even if the club resists the urge to start his service-time clock right away, a major-league debut at some point this season for Cavalli seems almost assured.

MARCH 21, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Aníbal Sánchez - Looks good in first spring outing Sanchez gave up no hits and two walks over 2.1 scoreless innings in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros. He struck out three.

Impact After not pitching at all last season, the 38-year-old looked amped up in his first action of the spring, reaching 93 mph with his fastball. Sanchez is in camp with the Nationals on a minor-league deal but seems to be the favorite for the No. 5 starter spot despite posting a 6.62 ERA and 1.66 WHIP over 53 innings for Washington in 2020.

MARCH 21, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

MLB Free Agency Tracker: Story signs with Red Sox

MLB free agency is back! Stay up-to-date with the latest moves, including Trevor Story to the Red Sox.

MARCH 21, 2022

Nationals 3, Astros 2

MARCH 21, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Jace Fry - Signs minors deal with Washington Fry signed a minor-league contract with the Nationals on Sunday that includes an invite to big-league camp, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Impact Fry elected free agency after being outrighted off the White Sox's 40-man roster in November, and he'll now compete for a bullpen spot with the Nationals. The 28-year-old southpaw appeared in only six major-league games during 2021, and he had a 2.93 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 60:20 K:BB over 40 innings at Triple-A.

MARCH 20, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Nats' 3B situation with Kieboom (forearm) out WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Carter Kieboom was almost at the end of his pregame fielding drills on Friday afternoon when, suddenly, something d...

MARCH 20, 2022 • MLB.COM

Carter Kieboom - Set to miss 4-6 weeks Kieboom said Sunday he is expected to require 4-to-6 weeks to recover from the flexor mass strain near his right elbow, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Impact Kieboom has been shut down from baseball activities and is scheduled to undergo testing once the swelling has subsided later this week to rule out a potential UCL tear, which would be a much more significant injury. Either way, the 24-year-old is poised to begin the campaign on the injured list. Maikel Franco, a non-roster invitee, is now the likely favorite to open the season at third base for Washington, though utility players Ehire Adrianza and Richard Urena could also be considered.

MARCH 20, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Josiah Gray - Rocked in spring debut Gray gave up four runs on four hits, including three home runs, in 1.2 innings during Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Mets.

Impact It was not an encouraging start to the spring for the 24-year-old considering he served up 19 homers in 70.2 big-league innings last season between the Dodgers and Nationals, but manager Dave Martinez thinks Gray will be able to iron out the issues he had Saturday, per Jessica Camerato of MLB.com. "He threw the ball well," Martinez said after the game. "The ball was coming out -- it was just, location. A couple balls he tried to get in just ran back over the plate. ... For him, it's working ahead in counts. His putaway pitch, he's trying to bury too many pitches. He's got to start throwing his breaking balls a little bit more for strikes." Gray has a spot in the Opening Day rotation locked up, and Washington is hoping his 24.8 percent strikeout rate in the majors last year is a better reflection of his future than his bloated HR rate.

MARCH 20, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Cade Cavalli - Learning to trust his stuff Cavalli is focused on not giving hitters too much credit and learning to trust his stuff this season, Maria Torres of The Athletic reports.

Impact The 23-year-old top prospect tore through High-A and Double-A last year before hitting a wall at Triple-A, posting a 7.30 ERA over 24.2 innings for Rochester and seeing his strikeout rate plummet while his BABIP soared, but the issue for Cavalli seemed to have been overthinking things rather than fatigue or mechanical issues. "He'd want to [throw the perfect pitch] and then the count would be 3-2," said Michael Tejera, the pitching coach at Triple-A Rochester last year. "He'd give hitters too much credit -- without needing to." Cavalli acknowledged that he needed to start thinking more like a pitcher than a hitter, as he was a two-way player in college, and at Triple-A he found himself trying to anticipate what pitch the hitter was expecting rather than sticking to the game plan. Cavalli's stuff is more than good enough for him to thrive in the majors, and once he shows that he's learned from his mistakes last season he could be ready to make the jump into Washington's rotation.

MARCH 20, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Richard Ureña - Getting look at third base Urena got the start at third base in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Mets, going 1-for-2 with a double and a run scored.

Impact The two-bagger came off starting pitcher Josh Walker, and it was already Urena's second double of the spring after he laced one off the Marlins' Cody Poteet on Friday. With Carter Kieboom (forearm) currently sidelined and likely to miss the beginning of the season, Nationals manager Dave Martinez is considering all his options at third base, and Urena is competing with utility player Ehire Adrianza and non-roster invitee Maikel Franco for a possible Opening Day starting assignment. Urena spent all of last season at Triple-A Buffalo in the Blue Jays' organization, slashing .272/.310/.435, and the 26-year-old infielder has a .253/.300/.336 line over 263 big-league plate appearances.

MARCH 20, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Ehire Adrianza - In mix for third base job Adrianza will get more reps than expected at third base this spring with Carter Kieboom (forearm) sidelined, Chelsea Janes of The Washington Post reports.

Impact Kieboom was the presumed starter at the hot corner, but with him now likely to miss Opening Day, Nationals manager Dave Martinez will take a look at Adrianza, Maikel Franco and Richard Urena as possible replacements. Adrianza put together a .247/.327/.401 slash line over 209 plate appearances in a utility role for Atlanta last season, seeing action at second base, third base, shortstop and all three outfield spots.

MARCH 20, 2022 • ROTOWIRE