The latest notes on the Washington Nationals through the first unofficial week of spring training, an omission from Team USA consideration, ESPN's outlook on 2026
The latest notes with spring training in full swing for the Washington Nationals:
Injury updates...following the first set of live batting practice sessions on Friday, Mark Zuckerman of Nats Journal noted several injury updates for the Nationals pitchers. Over ten months removed from Tommy John surgery, reliever DJ Herz made 25 throws from 120 feet away with no issues days after being placed on the 60-day injured list. Jarlin Susana, meanwhile, made 15 throws from 60 feet with the expectation he returns "sometime this summer." Travis Sykora, who was among the non-roster spring training invites, reportedly began his pitching program this week while Trevor Williams, also recently placed on the 60-day injured list, has yet to start throwing. Manager Blake Butera did give some confidence to the rotation after noting that pitcher Josiah Gray is "fully healthy and ready to go."
Team USA consideration fades...after news of Arizona Diamondbacks star Corbin Carroll expected to be placed on the injured list to open the season after suffering a broken hamate bone in his right hand, the Washington Nationals had a chance to add a third player in the upcoming World Baseball Classic next month alongside Matt Mervis and Harry Ford. Outfielder James Wood found himself on the shortlist to replace Corbin alongside Wyatt Langford, Roman Anthony, Kyle Stowers, Tyler Soderstrom, Steven Kwan and Riley Greene, but it appears that may not materialize.
News emerged on Friday afternoon that Anthony from the Boston Red Sox is expected to serve as Corbin's replacement contingent on a physical, filling the final spot on Team USA's roster.
ESPN's concern in '26...after the Nationals saw their preseason win projection climb slightly after signing veteran right hander Miles Mikolas earlier this week, ESPN threw water on those projections with the most bearish of them all. ESPN set their preseason win/loss projection at 58.5 while ranking the Nationals second-to-last in their 2026 power rankings, questioning why the front office didn't do more to acquire more major league-proven talent. "It's a tall order to ask Washington fans to hang in through another rebuild after the last one went nowhere, but that's a sunk cost at this point," ESPN noted. Washington was able to restock its farm system with seven of the team's top 20 prospects new offseason acquisitions while some like Harry Ford and Abimelec Ortiz could make an impact on the 40-man roster in their first seasons with the club.
ESPN also projected the Nationals to take under a projected 69.5 win total, adding that Washington will challenge the Colorado Rockies for the league's worst record in baseball.
Former National signs elsewhere...after being designated for assignment last august, former Nationals first baseman Nathaniel Lowe latched onto the Boston Red Sox to address a position of need for the rest of the 2025 season. But now deep into the offseason with the 2026 inching closer and available options thinning by the day, Lowe latched onto a team in 2026 after inking a minor league deal on a non-roster deal with the Cincinnati Reds. It's a stark fall for the former Rangers starting first baseman, though sign of his struggles through 2025 with Lowe looking bounce back in Cincinnati.