WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – A bunch of guys are going to play for the Nationals today in their Grapefruit League opener against the Astros. But not everyone.

Some prominent regulars are being held back and are expected to debut Sunday against the Mets, including CJ Abrams, Luis García Jr. and Nathaniel Lowe. That’s the routine in late February, when hardly anyone plays in back-to-back games.

Then there are those players who aren’t ready to take the field for game action quite yet. And there are some significant names on that list.

Most notable is James Wood, who has been dealing with right quad tendinitis. The 22-year-old outfielder continues to take batting practice, and on Friday he was cleared to begin light running. But there doesn’t appear to be a rush to get him into games just yet.

“He’s been hitting. He’s starting to a run a little bit,” manager Davey Martinez said. “But we’re kind of going to slow play this a little bit and try to nip this in the bud.”

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The 30 pitchers in big league camp for the Nationals bounce around from practice field to practice field, working on various fundamental drills, all of them participating, all of them encouraging each other.

But when it comes time to throw off the bullpen mounds, two of those 30 pitchers are forced to stand off to the side and watch.

Josiah Gray and Mason Thompson are the only two pitchers in camp not yet cleared to throw off the mound. Each is recovering from Tommy John surgery, the latter much closer to returning than the former.

Gray, who had his elbow ligament replaced in July, only began playing catch four weeks ago. He’s restricted to simple throws on flat ground every other day for now. He won’t be allowed to throw off a mound for some time. But the 27-year-old right-hander, an All-Star in 2023 and the Nats’ Opening Day starter in 2024, is upbeat and excited to be able to participate in any way after six months of no baseball activities at all.

“The thing about it, he gets it,” manager Davey Martinez said. “And what I love about JoJo is that he’s not just here for him. He’s here for everybody else. So he’s engaged (with) his teammates. He’s watching bullpens. And I love that about him. He wants to see his teammates do well. He knows what’s ahead of him. And he wants to get ready to help us down the road. And that’s what he’s shooting for.”

When the Nationals decided to non-tender All-Star closer Kyle Finnegan and Tanner Rainey on Nov. 22, they were letting go the only two relief pitchers on their roster who had real major league experience in high-leverage end-of-game situations.

After a spectacular start to the season with a 1.98 ERA and 23 saves on July 4, Finnegan struggled after his first All-Star selection. Over his final 28 appearances, he pitched to a 5.93 ERA with only 15 saves in 17 chances. Although he finished third in the major leagues with 38 saves, his overall 3.68 ERA was the third-highest among relievers with 26 or more saves.

Nonetheless, the Nats’ decision to part ways with Finnegan, who at 33 was projected to make $8.6 million in his last year of arbitration eligibility by MLB Trade Rumors, was unexpected.

The choice to non-tender Rainey, however, was less surprising. The 32-year-old right-hander was still trying to rediscover his form after August 2022 Tommy John surgery. Although he pitched to a 2.14 ERA and 1.000 WHIP over the season’s final two months, his overall numbers of 4.76 and 1.490 weren’t encouraging enough for the Nats to hold onto the last remaining player from their 2019 championship roster for one more year.

So the Nats entered the thick of the Hot Stove Season in need of a closer. And here we are two days away from pitchers and catchers reporting to West Palm Beach where the question still stands: Who’s the closer?

MIAMI – When the Nationals walked into the clubhouse at loanDepot park on Tuesday, a familiar face joined them.

Cade Cavalli, still rehabbing from his March 2023 Tommy John surgery in nearby West Palm Beach, once again made the trip down from the team’s spring training facility to spend some time around the team. Ever since his surgery, nearly every time the Nats have been in Miami, Cavalli has joined them.

But this time, he was not alone. Another familiar face joined him on the trip down to Miami. One that has not been seen since spring training.

Mason Thompson, also recovering from Tommy John, was all smiles as he walked into the clubhouse on Tuesday and was greeted by his teammates for the first time since his surgery in March. And while his target date to return is still sometime in 2025, he has been encouraged with how his own rehab process has gone.

“I feel great,” Thompson said. “Still a little ways out from throwing, I think sometime in October is kind of the set date. But I feel great. I feel, honestly, better than I did prior to surgery. Arm feels good. Body feels good. Feeling strong and just looking forward to getting back out there.”

FORT MYERS, Fla. – When camp opened, manager Davey Martinez was adamant Stone Garrett had a realistic chance of making the Nationals’ Opening Day roster and completing his comeback from the gruesome leg and ankle injury he suffered in August. As the calendar turns to March and Garrett has yet to make his game debut this spring, has that outlook changed?

Not at all, Martinez insisted today.

“I’m still optimistic that he can do it,” the manager said prior to today’s exhibition game against the Red Sox. “He’s working really hard. Probably the next 10-12 days are going to really determine where he’s at. They’re pushing him, and he wants to be pushed.”

Garrett, who broke his left fibula and injured his ankle making a leaping catch at the wall Aug. 23 at Yankee Stadium, has been participating in most morning drills this spring but has not appeared in a Grapefruit League contest yet.

The 28-year-old outfielder did recently start taking at-bats and running the bases in minor league intrasquad scrimmages, which have started up on the back fields behind CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – From the moment he felt something in his elbow while throwing to live hitters back home in Texas earlier this month, Mason Thompson feared the worst. Today, the Nationals reliever had those fears confirmed: He needs Tommy John surgery.

Thompson will undergo a full elbow ligament replacement surgery Friday, manager Davey Martinez revealed today, and will miss the entire 2024 season.

The 26-year-old reliever has been through this before, having had Tommy John surgery as a junior at Round Rock High School. Given his history, he had a sinking feeling about the severity of this injury when his elbow hurt after throwing a pitch during his pre-spring training workouts.

The Nationals decided to shut down Thompson for two weeks to let swelling decrease, then had him re-examined this week, hoping he might be able to avoid the surgery and get by with a less-invasive rehab program. But an MRI revealed a tear of the ulnar collateral ligament, so surgery was scheduled.

Thompson now faces 12 to 18 months of recovery, not to mention the stigma that comes with a second Tommy John surgery.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The Nationals hope to have more clarity in the next 24 hours on Mason Thompson, who is set to be re-examined by team doctors after being shut down the last two weeks with a sore elbow.

Thompson reported soreness after one of his final offseason bullpen sessions at home in Texas, and the Nats instructed him not to throw when he arrived at spring training, giving the elbow a chance to calm down before a decision on how to proceed would be made.

That decision is now coming, with Thompson scheduled to be examined later today as the right-hander and the club hold their collective breaths.

“Keeping my fingers crossed,” manager Davey Martinez said. “To be honest with you, I’m a little concerned.”

Thompson had Tommy John surgery nine years ago as a junior in high school. He’s avoided major injuries since then, though he did miss three months in 2022 with a right biceps strain.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – A Nationals club in need of more pitching depth this spring – and perhaps beyond – added another arm to the mix today, signing veteran reliever Jacob Barnes to a minor league deal with an invitation to big league camp.

Barnes, 33, has considerable experience, having pitched in 265 major league games since 2016 for eight different franchises. His best success came early in with the Brewers, for whom he delivered a 3.93 ERA and 1.359 WHIP in 167 games from 2016-19. He has since pitched for the Royals, Angels, Mets, Blue Jays, Tigers, Yankees and Cardinals.

The right-hander appeared in 13 games for St. Louis late last season, finishing with a 5.93 ERA and 1.537 WHIP. That came after he enjoyed consistent success for the Triple-A affiliates of the Rangers, Phillies and Cardinals, posting a 2.47 ERA and 1.314 WHIP in 35 games.

Barnes, who already has a locker in the Nationals clubhouse, is expected to report in the next day or two and then try to make his case for a spot in the Opening Day bullpen.

“Another guy we feel like should still have something left in the tank,” manager Davey Martinez said. “We’re going to give him an opportunity. He’ll strengthen our bullpen. He’ll be here soon. I can’t wait to get eyes on him. … Here’s a guy that’s been a competitor. I think he’ll fit right in. You can’t have enough arms. We’re going to give him an opportunity in spring training and see what he can do.”

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Mason Thompson was enjoying what he believed was a productive offseason. Determined to bounce back from an erratic 2023, the Nationals reliever set out to make some mechanical changes to his delivery, and a couple weeks ago faced a live hitter near his home in Texas for the first time this year.

Everything was going swimmingly. Until his elbow told him otherwise.

“It felt great. Ball was coming out good,” Thompson said. “Made it towards the end and just felt something, just felt some discomfort, something that just didn’t feel great. Gave it a couple of days, kind of was hoping that it was just some fatigue from the first time facing hitters throwing full speed. Unfortunately, it just kind of continued to persist, and now we’re here.”

Neither Thompson nor the Nationals know exactly where “here” is yet. He’s been shut down for two weeks, at which point he’ll be re-evaluated and a course of action will be determined.

Thompson, though, is no stranger to arm injuries. He had Tommy John surgery nine years ago while still a junior in high school. He dealt with a biceps strain in 2022 with the Nats and missed three months as a result.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Though a number of Nationals who ended the 2023 season injured reported for spring training on target to return as planned, a new ailment cropped up over the winter for one potential member of the bullpen.

Mason Thompson experienced elbow discomfort while throwing an offseason bullpen session and was told not to throw after arriving in West Palm Beach. The right-hander will be shut down for two weeks before he’s re-evaluated, according to manager Davey Martinez.

“Mason, right now, he’s got a little arm issue,” Martinez said this afternoon in his camp-opening session with reporters. “We’re going to see what’s going on with him. We’ll take it slow with him.”

Thompson, who turns 26 next week, has a history of arm injuries, most notably a biceps strain that forced him to miss nearly three months of the 2022 season. He hasn’t missed any time due to arm injuries since, but he spent 15 days on the injured list last summer with a bruised knee.

“We’re a little bit concerned,” Martinez said. “Like I said, we’ll take it slow with him. We’re still really early in spring training, so we’ll see. We’ll rehab him and see where we’re at in two weeks.”

PLAYER REVIEW: MASON THOMPSON

Age on Opening Day 2024: 26

How acquired: Traded with Jordy Barley from Padres for Daniel Hudson, July 2021

MLB service time: 2 years, 42 days

2023 salary: $724,400

PITTSBURGH – The excitement continues for the Nationals at PNC Park as they prepare for Jackson Rutledge’s major league debut. The Nats officially recalled the big right-hander from Triple-A Rochester ahead of tonight’s third game of this series against the Pirates.

Rutledge, 24, was the Nationals’ first-round pick at No. 17 overall in the 2019 MLB Draft. Formerly the top prospect in the system, Rutledge is now ranked as the Nats' No. 7 prospect per Baseball America and No. 13 per MLB Pipeline.

In 23 starts this year between Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Rochester, Rutledge is 8-4 with a 3.71 ERA and 1.269 WHIP over 119 innings.

“One, I always forget how big he is. He's a big kid,” manager Davey Martinez said with a laugh of his 6-foot-8, 251-pound starter. “But I'm proud of him. He worked really hard to get up here. He did some really good things down in the minor leagues. He started putting them together this year really well, so he's gonna get an opportunity to go out and start today for us. He's got a mix of four good pitches. The big thing with him, I didn't talk too much about anything, but just hey, attacking the strike zone, as I do with all these young kids. Just go try to get strike one on every hitter and just have fun. I'm really looking forward to seeing him pitch.”

Fellow rookie Drew Millas will be behind the plate to catch Rutledge while making just his sixth major league appearance and third start. The two are familiar with each other from coming up in the minor league system together.

The Nationals’ winning month of August was defined by success late in games, both at the plate by an opportunistic lineup and on the mound by a lockdown bullpen.

On the first night of September, they showed it might be tough to keep that going through the season's final month.

Despite rallying to tie the game in the bottom of the 10th, the Nationals couldn't overcome an ugly top of the 11th and wound up on the wrong end of an 8-5 loss to the Marlins, suddenly their fifth loss in six days.

Robert Garcia and Mason Thompson, the Nats' fifth and sixth relievers of the night, combined to allow those four decisive runs in the 11th, the first of those scoring in the form of the automatic runner, the others scoring in more conventional fashion.

Garcia, returning to the mound after a two-inning, 28-pitch appearance Thursday night, surrendered three straight singles to open the inning. Thompson then replaced him and immediately served up a two-run homer to Garrett Hampson to cap the rally and make it all the more difficult for the Nationals to bounce back again in the bottom of the inning.

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – Tonight’s MLB Little League Classic offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the Nationals to both experience the Little League World Series in person and then play in a nationally televised game in the most intimate setting they’ll ever have in the major leagues.

For two players, it also marks a welcome return to the big league roster.

Mason Thompson and Carter Kieboom were added to the Nats roster today, Thompson activated off the 15-day injured list to take the bullpen slot that opened up when Cory Abbott was optioned to Triple-A Rochester, Kieboom recalled from Rochester to serve as the designated 27th man for this special game.

Thompson returns after an IL stint of exactly 15 days due to a left knee contusion. The right-hander returns after making one rehab appearance for Double-A Harrisburg on Thursday, during which he tossed a scoreless inning on nine pitches.

Given the heavy usage of their bullpen this week, the Nationals couldn’t afford to activate Thompson before he was ready to be used in full capacity. He insisted to them he was ready for the workload.

It’s purely a coincidence of timing that so many injured Nationals relievers were ready to begin rehab assignments within days of each other. Intentional or not, the team is more than happy to monitor a bunch of these assignments, knowing each pitcher is getting close to returning to the active roster.

Mason Thompson and Carl Edwards Jr. got the process started, each tossing a scoreless inning of relief Thursday. Tanner Rainey will make his rehab debut tonight, hours after Thaddeus Ward pitched in West Palm Beach.

Thompson tossed a 1-2-3 inning for Double-A Harrisburg, striking out one and throwing seven of his nine pitches for strikes. The right-hander, out since Aug. 2 with a left knee contusion, is scheduled to return to make another appearance Sunday, ideally building up to 20-to-25 pitches.

Edwards also threw a perfect inning of relief, with six of his 12 pitches for strikes with Single-A Wilmington. The right-hander, out since June 20 with shoulder inflammation, is going to need more time on his assignment considering how long he’s been out. He’s next scheduled to pitch Saturday.

“He’s been out a little longer,” manager Davey Martinez said. “For me, it’s like spring training all over with him. I want to get him this outing tomorrow, see how that goes, and then possibly two or three more after. … But he said he felt way better yesterday.”

Two more injured Nationals relievers are ready to begin pitching in competitive games.

Tanner Rainey and Mason Thompson will both begin minor league rehab assignments Friday, manager Davey Martinez announced prior to tonight’s game against the Red Sox. Rainey will pitch for Single-A Fredericksburg, with Thompson joining Double-A Harrisburg, which is playing at Richmond this week.

For Rainey, this marks the most significant step in his long recovery from Tommy John surgery. The 30-year-old right-hander is more than a year removed from his procedure to replace the ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow, and though he has faced live hitters in West Palm Beach, Fla., and here at Nationals Park in recent days, he’s now ready to compete in an actual game.

The club wants Rainey to take things slow, recognizing he’s allotted up to 30 days on his rehab assignment before he must be added to the active roster. If things go, he’ll likely join the Nationals in mid-September and make a handful of appearances before season’s end.

“Just continue to remember where he’s at,” Martinez said. “And we’re still building up.”

Hunter Harvey believes he could’ve returned from his elbow strain at least a week ago, maybe sooner than that. Given the right-hander’s lengthy injury history, the Nationals weren’t about to rush him back from the 15-day injured list.

But once they saw him throwing 97-99 mph against live hitters over the weekend, there wasn’t much reason to wait any longer. So today the Nats activated Harvey off the IL and are eager to add him to a bullpen that still managed to dominate as a group in his absence the last three weeks.

“They’ve been great,” Harvey said. “I’ve heard (manager Davey Martinez) say guys needed to step up, and I think a lot of guys had a good opportunity and ran with it. … Everybody’s been pulling their weight, and it’s been good.”

Harvey first felt something wrong in his arm during the Nationals’ mid-July series in St. Louis and immediately spoke up, recognizing he hasn’t always been great at reporting physical ailments during his career. The team sent him home to get an MRI but was relieved to learn the injury wasn’t anything more serious.

Harvey was back throwing again within a week and was able to return without going on a minor league rehab assignment. His IL stint might’ve been even shorter, he believes, if his wife hadn’t given birth to their first son earlier than expected, drawing his undivided attention away from baseball.

Though the depleted group has performed remarkably well in his absence, the Nationals bullpen is about to get one of its key members back.

Hunter Harvey, out the last four weeks with an elbow strain, is on track to come off the injured list early this week, according to manager Davey Martinez.

Harvey faced live hitters before Friday’s game at Nationals Park, then threw off the bullpen mound prior to today’s series finale against the Athletics. Barring any complications, the right-hander should be ready to come off the 15-day IL, foregoing a minor league rehab assignment.

“I think Hunter should be ready here in the next couple days,” Martinez said.

Ready for what?

Most of the Nationals clubhouse was surrounding the back of the batting cage on the field at Nats Park at around 4 p.m. They were all waiting to watch Tanner Rainey and Hunter Harvey throw their simulated innings.

The plan was for Rainey, who is still recovering from last year’s Tommy John surgery, to throw around 35-40 pitches. Harvey, who has been on the 15-day injured list since July 16 with a right elbow strain, was set to throw about 20-25 pitches.

Jeter Downs, Blake Rutherford, Michael Chavis and Riley Adams suited up to step into the box against their teammates.

Rainey went first, his first time stepping on the mound at Nats Park since July 4 of last year, with pitching coach Jim Hickey watching behind him and the rest of the coaching staff and teammates behind the cage.

Downs struck out, Rutherford got a base hit and Adams went deep down the left field line. But those results didn’t matter, as Rainey seemed satisfied when he stepped off the mound after his inning.

CINCINNATI – The Nationals added another reliever to the injured list today, placing Mason Thompson on the 15-day IL with a left knee contusion that appears to have prevented the right-hander from pitching most of the week.

Thompson hadn’t appeared in a game since Monday, when he tossed a scoreless eighth on all of five pitches, helping lead the Nats to a 5-3 win over the Brewers. Despite the team being in several close games since then, manager Davey Martinez did not call upon his top setup man.

Martinez revealed Thompson recently hurt himself after falling, though he did not offer any more specifics than that.

“I don’t know how he fell, but he said he fell and he’s been dealing with it for a few days,” Martinez told reporters before today's game against the Reds. “Hopefully it will go away. He had an MRI that showed he had a contusion. So we’re going to make sure we take care of him and get him ready to go again.”

Though it has been five days since Thompson last pitched, IL moves can only be backdated three days. So he officially goes on the IL on Aug. 2 and will eligible to return Aug. 17.