The Washington Nationals made a second roster decision over a three day span with one first baseman headed to minor league camp
The Washington Nationals will look to end a three-game slide when they return to the diamond on Monday night when they take on the New York Mets with first pitch set for 6:10 PM on MLB.TV, but they will also do so with one less player available after the front office made another roster move with just eight spring training games remaining.
The team announced on Sunday that first baseman Yohandy Morales is being sent down to minor league camp, ending his campaign with the Nationals ahead of 2026. Morales saw time in 11 games this spring, but similar to the rest of the team, struggled with his offense after notching just one hit across 17 at bats. Morales also posted five strikeouts, including two against the Houston Astros back on March 8, while he also drew a walk four days prior once again against the Astros. Beyond those two at bats, Morales never got on base, making him an expendable piece at a position of concern.
All eyes will shift toward Luis Garcia Jr and Abimelec Ortiz at first base when the Nationals take the field for Opening Day next week. Garcia was previously announced among the batch of non-roster players invited to spring training, while he was also previously named to the Caribbean Series All Star team this offseason after hitting .500 and posting a pair of home runs across five games and 22 at bats.
The move came days after the Nationals announced another roster move with the signing of free agent pitcher Zach Littell made official by the club one day prior to his debut, leading the organization to designate Richard Lovelady for assignment.
Lovelady arrived after being claimed off waivers by the New York Mets back on Jan. 29 as he ended up making four appearances with the Nationals in spring training, finishing with a 2.25 ERA while tossing seven strikeouts against three walks. But he did not have to wait too long before finding his next home after being claimed by the Mets once again, setting him up to square off against the divisional foe in 2026.
Washington announced their latest batch of roster cuts on Friday with Andrew Alvarez, Jake Eder and Mitchell Parker all being optioned down to Triple A Rochester while Morales joins four others recently announced in minor league camp.
Washington stands at 11-7-3 through spring training ahead of Monday's game.