In-house first base options for the Washington Nationals in 2026

With the Washington Nationals nearing Spring Training, the first base position continues to linger as the one major spot to fill in their starting lineup. With it getting less and less likely that the Nationals will find the right candidate in free agency, let's take a look at some in-house options to fill the spot.

Luis Garcia Jr. is likely a top in-house option, with Paul Toboni saying he wanted to test him at first base in the Dominican Winter League. Garcia made two starts at 1B in 2025 and was perfect in his 16 total chances.

The 25-year-old had a down year at the plate in 2025, batting .252 compared to his .282 batting average in 2024 and .266 batting average in 2023. He’s also been a good presence at the plate, getting walked 27 times in each of his last three years. 

With Garcia getting a possible nod at 1B, that would leave the 2B position open, which would allow for 24-year-old Nasim Nunez to get a chance at a starting spot. Nunez has been a good defensive 2B and SS in his limited chances on the major league roster and has shown potential to be an above-replacement-level batter, with 4 HRs in 39 games in 2025 and a .246 batting average in 51 games in 2024.

Andrés Chaparro ended last season as the Nationals' first baseman after they released Nathaniel Lowe in August. He did not perform very well in his limited time, hitting only .182 in his 34 games. 

He had a good 2025 campaign in the minors. He hit .275 with a .384 on-base percentage and 14 home runs in 48 games for Rochester, the Nationals' triple-A team.  

Chaparro also saw time in the majors in 2024, playing in 33 games and hitting a better .215, with a .280 on-base percentage.

Chaparro is an option that comes with potential for the Nationals. His defense is not something to necessarily write home about– his speed leaves a lot to be desired, and he ended his 2025 campaign with 0 outs above average, according to Baseball Savant. The 26-year-old has space to grow and can help provide the Nationals with power and a strong on-base presence if he continues to develop as a batter.

PECOTA points to Chaparro as the overwhelming favorite to draw playing time at first base in 2026.

The starting first baseman of the Nationals' Triple-A affiliate, the Rochester Red Wings, Yohandy Morales, will be a contending option to end the season as the top first baseman in the depth chart.

Morales was the Nationals’ second-round pick in the 2023 MLB draft out of Miami, where he hit .408 in his senior year to go along with 20 home runs and 30 walks in 61 games.  

Morales has impressed since joining the organization, climbing up to Triple-A in 144 games, and has had an encouraging start with the Red Wings. In 95 appearances, he had hit .249 with a .330 on-base percentage.

A must for Morales to improve on to start 2026 will be his plate presence. According to FanGraphs, he had a good 10.6% BB%, but suffered from a very poor 30.3% SO%, which was heavily due to his low 66.5% contact% in Triple-A. 

One thing going for Morales is that his numbers have increased after his two prior offseasons, and if another big leap is in store for the 24-year-old, he could find himself closing the season for the Nationals.

On January 22, the Nationals traded Mackenzie Gore for a package of five prospects from the Texas Rangers, one of whom was Abimelec Ortiz. 

Ortiz signed with the Rangers in 2021 as a non-drafted free agent at 19 years old and has risen through the Rangers system up to Triple-A. 

He played just 41 games in Triple-A in 2025 but was very impressive, hitting .283 with a .388 on-base percentage and 9 home runs. In his Triple-A run, he showed a lot of promise as he had a high 12.7% BB% compared to an around-league-average 21.8% SO%.

In his Triple-A appearances last year, he mainly split time at 1B and RF. In 23 games at 1B, he had 149 putouts to go along with 3 errors.

Ortiz is the youngest of the options at only 23 years old, but he will likely see a chance to play somewhere on the defense, if not at 1B, in 2026 down the stretch, so the Nationals can allow the young player a chance to test the waters in the Major Leagues. 

Trey Lipscomb was the Nats’ third-round pick in 2022 out of Tennessee and has already seen some time in the Majors in a large role in the 2024 season, where he mainly played 3B in his 61 appearances. 

In 2025, he spent all but four at-bats in the minor leagues with the Rochester Red Wings. The other four at-bats came in the majors in a win against the Colorado Rockies, where he had two hits and a run. 

With the Red Wings, he played in 122 games as their third baseman, where he hit .249 with a .305 on-base percentage and 11 home runs. In his stint in the major leagues in 2024, he hit .200 with a .268 on-base percentage.  

The 25-year-old, although he’s been playing third baseman, appeared in five games at first base for the Nationals in 2024 and would provide major league experience as an option, though he would likely have to continue impressing in Triple-A before having a chance for the role.

Matt Mervis signed with the Nationals on a Minor League contract in the offseason after a stint with the Miami Marlins. 

The Nationals originally drafted Mervis in the 39th round of the 2016 draft, but he went to college instead, where he would spend four seasons at Duke.

Mervis would sign a minor league deal with the Chicago Cubs after his senior year, where he would impress in their system. In 2022, he would play 57 games in Triple-A, where he would bat .297 with an outstanding .383 on-base percentage while hitting 15 home runs.

He would continue impressing in Triple-A with even better on-base numbers in 100 appearances in 2023 while maintaining a .282 batting average and 22 home runs. 

His major league career is yet to pan out, however, as he has seen time in the majors in every season since 2023 and is yet to bat over .200. Most recently, on the Marlins, he had 42 appearances and hit .175 with a .254 on-base percentage and 7 home runs.  

The 27-year-old DC native's ability to get on-base, potential as a power threat, prior Triple-A performances, and major league experience–albeit not successful–give Mervis an outside chance in the Nationals' 1B hunt.