Mitchell Parker Heads to IL, Nationals Announce Pitching Moves

Ahead of the start of the road series against the Boston Red Sox set to begin on Monday, the Washington Nationals announced a flurry of roster moves out of the bullpen, including two who now land on the injured list.

The Nationals announced that both Mitchell Parker and Richard Lovelady have been placed on the 15 day injured list with Parker sidelined with elbow inflammation and Lovelady battling a triceps strain. Manager Blake Butera noted that Parker expressed discomfort while appearing in the seventh inning of Sunday's win when his velocity dropped five mph. While it marks a setback for the 26 year old left hander, it also marks the end of a brutal stretch through June for Parker after owning a 10.13 ERA and allowing at least one run in seven of his nine appearances, giving him a chance to turn the page once he returns.

Lovelady also heads to the injured list after struggling through June with batters hitting .333 against him while he owns a 7.71 ERA and 2.14 WHIP. Yet all six runs allowed came across just three appearances while he came in relief of Parker to close out the seventh inning in Sunday's win.

With Lovelady and Parker no longer available, Carson Palmquist and Riley Cornelio are set to rejoin the team from Triple A Rochester.

This marks the second stint for Palmquist, who was acquired from the Colorado Rockies back in late May. He then made his debut in the 5-4 loss against the Philadelphia Phillies on June 24 when he allowed one run and two hits while tossing three strikeouts in 3.1 innings.

Palmquist struggled in his lone season in the majors with the Rockies after leaving the organization with an 8.91 ERA and 2.04 WHIP across nine appearances in 2025, finishing the regular season with 27 strikeouts to 25 walks and 45 hits allowed.

As for Cornelio, this marks his third stint in the big leagues this season after making his season debut against the Chicago White Sox in late April, allowing a pair of runs in two innings, before returning to pitch in a pair of games in mid-June. Cornelio owns a 6.48 ERA this season with six earned runs in just 8.1 innings, adding concerns for a Nationals' pitching staff that allowed 15 runs in the ninth inning during the four game series loss against the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Nationals also announced that Jhancarlos Lara cleared outright waivers and has been assigned outright to Double A just days after being designated for assignment.

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