This page may contain affiliate links. If you click and sign up, make a deposit, or place a wager, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.
Nationals' Andrew Alvarez: Headed back to Triple-A
Rotowire
Alvarez was optioned to Triple-A Rochester after Sunday's 3-0 win over the Giants.
Alvarez was called up from Rochester ahead of Sunday's series finale against San Francisco, and he was able to earn a win in his 2026 debut with Washington. The southpaw tossed the final 4.1 innings of the team's combined shutout of the Giants, allowing three hits while striking out five. Alvarez posted a 2.31 ERA and 1.11 WHIP with 20 strikeouts over 23.1 innings in five starts with the Nationals in 2025, and considering how well he pitched Sunday, he likely won't have to wait long for another shot with the big-league club.
Nationals' Daylen Lile: Receiving first day off of 2026
Rotowire
Lile is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Giants.
Though the left-handed-hitting Lile typically starts against left-handed pitching, he'll hit the bench Sunday for the first time in 2026 while the Giants send a tough southpaw in Robbie Ray to the bump. Through Washington's first 21 games of the season, Lile has produced a stellar .283 batting average but hasn't supplemented it with quality counting statistics (one home run, one stolen base, 13 runs and eight RBI).
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Jorbit Vivas: On bench Sunday
Rotowire
Vivas is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Giants.
The left-handed hitter had started six of the Nationals' last seven games, seeing time at second base, third base and DH, but he'll hit the bench Sunday while southpaw Robbie Ray takes the hill for the Giants. With a .780 OPS through 54 plate appearances, Vivas has put himself in consideration for the final spot in the Nationals' regular lineup against right-handed pitching, but he may have to settle for more of a part-time role with Jose Tena (.811 OPS in 36 plate appearances) having gotten off to a similarly strong start.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Andrew Alvarez: Promoted Sunday
Rotowire
The Nationals recalled Alvarez from Triple-A Rochester on Sunday.
The left-hander has a 4.66 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 27:10 K:BB across 19.1 frames in four starts for Rochester and will now get a look in the big-league bullpen. The Nationals are starting PJ Poulin as an opener Sunday before turning to primary pitcher Miles Mikolas, after which Alvarez could be called upon to provide some more length.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Miles Mikolas: Set for another bulk-relief outing
Rotowire
Mikolas is scheduled to work in bulk relief behind opening pitcher PJ Poulin in Sunday's game against the Giants, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.
The Nationals will pair Mikolas with Poulin for a second straight turn through the rotation, as the former had previously pitched behind the latter in Tuesday's 5-4 win over the Pirates. After turning in a 12.41 ERA, 2.35 WHIP and 11:7 K:BB in 12.1 innings over his three starts to begin the season, Mikolas didn't fare dramatically better coming out of the bullpen, as the Pirates tagged him for three earned runs on three hits and two walks across 3.1 innings. Despite the favorable matchup against a weak Giants offense, Mikolas hasn't provided reason for fantasy managers to include him in lineups with any level of confidence.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' PJ Poulin: Opening Sunday's game
Rotowire
Poulin will serve as the Nationals' opening pitcher for Sunday's game against the Giants, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.
Poulin will draw his third start of the season and will once again be working in front of Miles Mikolas, who is slated to cover the bulk of the innings out of the bullpen. The Nationals rode the Poulin-Mikolas pairing to a win over the Pirates on Tuesday, though the two pitchers combined to allow four earned runs over 4.1 innings. Poulin is unlikely to pitch more than an inning or two Sunday before turning the game over to Mikolas.
Nationals' James Wood: Homers, scores thrice Saturday
Rotowire
Wood went 1-for-3 with a solo home run, hit-by-pitch, two walks, two RBI and three runs scored in Saturday's 7-6 extra-innings loss to the Giants.
Wood led off the game with a solo homer against Adrian Houser and was then hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the second inning. Wood has now homered in back-to-back games and has seven on the season, with six of those long balls coming over his last 13 contests. On the season, Wood is slashing .256/.385/.570 with seven long balls, 18 RBI, 20 runs scored, four stolen bases and a 16:33 BB:K across 104 plate appearances.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Paxton Schultz: Shuttled to Rochester
Rotowire
Schultz was optioned to Triple-A Rochester on Saturday.
Schultz threw three innings and 48 pitches Friday, a long enough outing that he will likely be unavailable for a few days. The Nationals' bullpen was taxed heavily again Saturday, likely creating a need for fresh arms Sunday. Schultz has been fairly effective across eight innings this season, and he'll almost certainly be back in the majors at some point later on.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Goes just four innings Saturday
Rotowire
Cavalli didn't factor into the decision Saturday against the Giants, allowing three runs (one earned) on seven hits and no walks with five strikeouts across four innings.
The Nationals' Opening Day starter, Cavalli has managed to go five innings in just one of his five starts to this point. Saturday marked his first outing without walking a batter, but the Giants made Cavalli work deep into at-bats and still got his pitch count up to 92. The right-hander's five strikeouts matched his season high, but he's not going deep enough to put himself in the mix for wins. Cavalli owns a 4.12 ERA and 18:12 K:BB across 19.2 innings and is slated to face Atlanta in his next start.
Henry (shoulder) played catch Saturday, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.
Saturday marks the first time Henry has done any sort of throwing since he landed on the injured list Monday with a right rotator cuff strain. He said afterward that he felt good while throwing and remains optimistic that his stay on the injured list will be brief.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Brady House: Idle Saturday
Rotowire
House isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against San Francisco.
House will take a seat after making four straight starts, during which he went 3-for-19 (.158) with two RBI and a run scored. His absence will allow Jorbit Vivas to pick up another start at third base.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Keibert Ruiz: Sitting Saturday
Rotowire
Ruiz isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Giants.
Ruiz has gone just 2-for-12 at the plate over his last six games and will now get a day off to reset while Drew Millas catches for starter Cade Cavalli.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Jose Tena: Three hits in Friday's loss
Rotowire
Tena went 3-for-4 with a double, a run scored and an RBI in Friday's loss to the Giants.
The utility infielder got the start at designated hitter and hit eighth, putting together his first multi-hit performance in April. Tena has seen most of his action to begin the season at DH and has been used exclusively against right-handed pitchers, and while he's hit .355 (11-for-31) in that role, he has zero homers or steals, and that batting average is inflated by a .478 BABIP.
Lile went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run and an additional run scored during the Nationals' 10-5 loss to the Giants on Friday.
It took until the 20th game of the regular season for Lile to go long, with his two-run home run off Logan Webb in the fourth inning reducing the Nationals' deficit to 8-3. Despite the lack of power, Lile has had success getting on base, reaching base safely in seven of his last eight outings. Over that eight-game span, he has gone 10-for-34 (.294) with one steal, three RBI and four runs scored.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' James Wood: Late homer Friday
Rotowire
Wood went 1-for-5 with a solo home run during the Nationals' 10-5 loss to the Giants on Friday.
Wood made Friday's score more respectable with a solo shot in the seventh inning. It was his sixth home run of the season, five of which have come over his last 12 outings since April 5. In that 12-game span, Wood has gone 17-for-47 (.362) with 13 RBI, four steals, 13 runs scored and 10 walks.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Zack Littell: Lit up by San Francisco
Rotowire
Littell (0-2) took the loss against the Giants on Friday, allowing eight runs on 11 hits and one walk while striking out four across four innings.
It was another tough outing for Littell, who has given up two home runs or more in three of his first four starts of the season. Six of the eight runs he yielded Friday came in the third inning, including a three-run homer off the bat of Heliot Ramos, and Littell was dinged for two more runs in the fourth, including a solo shot from Drew Gilbert. Littell posted a sub-4.00 ERA in each of the last two seasons, but he's opened 2026 with a 7.11 ERA and 1.74 WHIP over 19 innings. He's slated to start next week at home against Atlanta.
1:42
9:27
0:41
12:52
1:35
0:40
1:44
8:20
0:31
0:43
1:28
1:20
1:31
1:54
0:25
0:40
1:01
10:24
1:08
10:23
