The Washington Nationals will look to keep the good vibes rolling as they take on the Miami Marlins on Sunday afternoon
Washington Nationals (2-0) vs. Miami Marlins (1-0)
When: Sunday, Feb. 22, 2025, 1:10 PM
TV: none
Stream/Radio: 106.7 FM
After taking down both the Houston Astros and St. Louis Cardinals in a split squad Saturday to open spring training, the Washington Nationals are set to return to action on Sunday to take on the Miami Marlins where they'll look to extend the early high under new manager Blake Butera.
Miami is coming off a 2-1 win over the New York Mets on Saturday after scoring a pair of runs through the first five innings before a wild pitch got the Mets on board in the bottom of the eighth.
The Nationals are expected to face Sandy Alcantara, who finished second to CJ Abrams in a recent executive poll, on the mound. The Nationals are expected to turn to Mitchell Parker to take the mound as he enters his first spring start among the host of young pitchers looking to get off to a strong start with the end of the rotation up for grabs.
Saturday featured some of the notable names in doses as expected, but one notable name was missing with James Wood inactive for the Nationals on Saturday. Though will make his spring training debut on Sunday against the Marlins for his first (unofficial) appearance of the 2026 season.
Meanwhile, outfielder Jacob Young and infielder Luis Garcia Jr. were inactive on Saturday and are expected to remain inactive on Sunday after suffering what has been reported as minor injuries.
Young was hit by a pitch during Wednesday's live batting practice after reliever Bryce Montes de Oca hit his right wrist. Mark Zuckerman of Nats Journal reported that Young was able to play catch, complete outfield drills and run bases with no issues with a scheduled return to hit in the batting cage to test his recovery.
“He says he’s pretty much fine. It’s just kind of a pain-tolerance thing,” manager Blake Butera said of Young. “But we’re just going to be super smart with him. I don’t see it going too much further, but he feels good.”
Garcia, meanwhile, is battling through left hamstring tightness in recent days and took part in both defensive drills and batting practice on Friday, while also running 40% in base running drills per the Nationals.
“I know he wants to play Monday, but we’ll see,” Butera said. “I’d rather err on the side of caution.”