The Washington Nationals have sent a pair of pitchers down to Triple A Rochester, seemingly solidifying the 2026 rotation
Another day, another round of roster decisions for the Washington Nationals, but this one marked maybe the most surprising after sending three down to Triple A and one to minor league camp.
A pair of right handed pitchers in Julian Fernandez and Josiah Gray are joining outfielder Robert Hassell III as the latest to be optioned down to Triple A Rochester.
Gray may not be the most surprising of the group where he will get a chance to manage his workload before being eventually called up during the 2026 season. In a pair of appearances this spring, Gray has posted five total strikeouts and gave up one run against the Houston Astros back on March 2, along with three combined hits. He also walked three total batters, including a pair of hit by pitches against the Astros. His appearance against the Astros on March 2 marked his first start since April 4, 2024 after undergoing Tommy John surgery.
Fernandez, meanwhile, notched five strikeouts in six appearances, including three over his last two games. He also allowed five earned runs across three appearances against the Astros this spring across a total of five innings.
Their moves also seemingly solidify the starting rotation for Washington with Cade Cavalli, already tabbed as the Opening Day starter, leading the rotation alongside free agent additions Miles Mikolas, Foster Griffin and Zack Littell, who is set to take the mound on Thursday. Jake Irvin has also put together a strong spring after posting 15 strikeouts in four appearances to lead the team. Whether it's enough is the biggest question, but the latest roster decision seemingly decides exactly that with just five games left in spring training.
Hassell may be the most surprising roster decision of them after sitting second on the team in hits with eight in 28 at bats and 13 games. Hassell has also posted a double and RBI while stealing two bases, striking out nine times and posting three runs.
His decision seemingly solidifies the outfield with James Wood, Daylen Lile and Jacob Young leading the way alongside centerfielder Joey Wiemer and Christian Franklin. Who ends up becoming the Opening Day starters is a question with Wood playing both right and left field through spring training, while Jacob Young made his first appearance in nearly two weeks just days ago.
This marks the latest roster decision after the front office included Harry Ford among the batch of players to be sent down to Triple A Rochester on Wednesday, pointing to Keibert Ruiz as the Nationals starting catcher when the regular season begins next week.
Zach Penrod, who signed with the organization on a minor league deal back in January, was also sent to minor league camp. In six appearances and one start, Penrod allowed two earned runs and tied Ken Waldichuk for the sixth-most strikeouts with eight.