Gomes hits IL, so catching falls to Barrera for now (updated)

Gomes hits IL, so catching falls to Barrera for now (updated)
Catcher Yan Gomes, who was removed in the second inning of Friday night's game against the Giants, is undergoing an MRI this afternoon and the Nationals will wait until the results of that diagnostic test to determine whether Gomes needs to be placed on the injured list, manager Davey Martinez said. "We have nothing yet," Martinez said in his pregame Zoom session with reporters. "He's getting an MRI as we speak, so hopefully he gets back here soon and we know something after the...

Checking out possible spring training surprise candidates

Checking out possible spring training surprise candidates
Unless you're one of those who mines the minor leagues for every possible nugget of information, you didn't really know who Jake Noll was heading into 2019 spring training for the Nationals. Maybe you knew he was a seventh-round pick in the 2016 First-Year Player Draft out of Florida Gulf Coast. Maybe you were aware that he'd followed up a .291/.341/.412 campaign between Single-A Potomac and Double-A Harrisburg in 2018 with a .265/.309/.429 log in limited Arizona Fall League play with Salt...

Which players are on Nationals' roster bubble?

Which players are on Nationals' roster bubble?
When the Nationals convene in 10 days at West Palm Beach, Fla., they will be full of optimism and eager to erase the stench of a 26-34 record in the truncated 2020 season that earned them a share of last place in the National League East. But amid all the cliches about being in the best shape of their lives, boundless hope that things will be better in 2021 and the inevitable focus on how newcomers to the organization will adjust, one factor drives performances more than any other. Some guys in...

Nats protect Antuna, Adon from Rule 5 draft

Nats protect Antuna, Adon from Rule 5 draft
The Nationals added two prospects to their 40-man roster today, believing infielder Yasel Antuna and right-hander Joan Adon needed to be protected from being lost in next month's Rule 5 draft while taking a chance a few others won't be gobbled up by another club. Antuna and Adon each had his contract purchased, elevating each player to the organization's 40-man roster even though neither is on the cusp of making his major league debut. Club officials do believe both prospects have a future...

Friday morning news and notes

Friday morning news and notes
Some news and notes for you on this Friday morning ... * Today is the deadline for all clubs to add players to their 40-man roster and protect them from the Rule 5 draft, so look for the Nationals to make an announcement on a few guys at some point. The Rule 5 draft, which is scheduled to take place Dec. 10 to wrap up the virtual Winter Meetings, allows clubs to select away minor leaguers from other organizations and add them to their major league roster. Any player drafted for $100,000 must...

Bourque and Read clear waivers, sent to Triple-A

Bourque and Read clear waivers, sent to Triple-A
The Nationals continue to clear space on their 40-man roster. The club announced this afternoon that right-hander James Bourque and catcher Raudy Read have cleared outright waivers and been assigned to Triple-A Fresno. The 40-man roster is at 34 players. Bourque, 27, appeared in six games this season, finishing with a 1-0 record and a 6.75 ERA over four innings of relief. He appeared in one game in 2019, allowing four runs on three hits over two-thirds of an inning. Early on in the 2020 season,...

Martinez has offseason program set for impressionable García

Martinez has offseason program set for impressionable García
For a young player in his rookie season, there will be highs and lows. There will be good plays and bad. But the one thing Nationals manager Davey Martinez wants Luis García to remember: Relax, have fun and play the game. "I told him, 'Just be you,'" Martinez said via Zoom. "There is going to be conversations about the game that we have every day with him, whether it's with me, whether it's (bench coach) Tim Bogar, whether it's with (third base coach) Chip Hale. This is a learning...

Martinez being careful with Kendrick; updates on Strasburg, Castro

Martinez being careful with Kendrick; updates on Strasburg, Castro
He owns two of the most meaningful home runs in Nationals history. So when Howie Kendrick is not available, it certainly changes the makeup of the lineup and the quick strike ability for this club. A grand slam to beat the Dodgers and a go-ahead foul pole-clanging two-run homer against in World Series Game 7 against the Astros will forever go down in Nats lore. Those big hits might have made some forget that Kendrick fought through a left hamstring strain that kept him out of the lineup for 11...

Nats add veteran utilityman Harrison, send Read down

Nats add veteran utilityman Harrison, send Read down
The Nationals formally signed Josh Harrison to a major league contract today and will have the veteran utilityman in uniform for tonight's series opener against the Blue Jays. Harrison, 33, was released by the Phillies last week before playing in a regular season game for them. The nine-year veteran and two-time All-Star is a career .273 hitter with 53 homers, 277 RBIs and a .714 OPS, the vast majority of his time coming with the Pirates. The Nationals had expressed some interest in acquiring...

Barrera suspended 80 games after positive PED test

Barrera suspended 80 games after positive PED test
Tres Barrera, who made his major league debut for the Nationals last season and was in camp this summer competing to make the opening day roster as the club's third catcher, has been suspended 80 games without pay by Major League Baseball after testing positive for Dehydrochlormethyltestosterone, a performance-enhancing drug. Barrera, who denied having ever knowingly taken a banned substance, appealed his positive test, but MLB's independent arbitrator upheld the decision. He must begin...

With 72 hours to go, Nats facing final roster decisions

With 72 hours to go, Nats facing final roster decisions
They've played only one exhibition game, but the Nationals have no choice but to start thinking seriously about finalizing their opening night roster, which must be submitted 72 hours from now. In some ways, this is a trickier proposition than it usually is, given the lack of time and lack of performance to make such player judgments. And yet in some ways it's also a simpler task than usual, because they're allowed to keep 30 players on the active roster for the season's first two...

Read makes defensive adjustment behind plate to help pitcher

Read makes defensive adjustment behind plate to help pitcher
The Nationals have a plethora of quality catchers in their system and have made a point to stockpile the position. One of their catchers with a ton of experience is Raudy Read, who played 14 games with the Nationals between 2017 and 2019. The Nats signed the 26-year-old in 2011 out of the Dominican Republic. Even a catcher who has logged 632 minor league games - from the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League to Triple-A Syracuse and Fresno - looks to improve and refine his game each season....

Read among first round of roster cuts (Nats lose 7-5)

Read among first round of roster cuts (Nats lose 7-5)
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The Nationals made their first round of cuts of the spring this morning, demoting seven players to the minors, including catching prospect Raudy Read. Read, the only player cut today who is on the 40-man roster, was optioned to Triple-A Fresno. The six others who were cut, all non-roster players, were reassigned to minor league camp: right-handers Jhonatan German, Derek Self and Paulo Espino, catcher Jakson Reetz, infielder Drew Ward and outfielder Mac...

Can returning catching tandem duplicate 2019 numbers?

Can returning catching tandem duplicate 2019 numbers?
As spring training fast approaches, it's time to break down the state of the Nationals roster, position by position. The series continues today with the catching corps ... The Nationals knew they needed a major catching upgrade last winter, and they could've attempted to achieve that with one big acquisition. Instead, general manager Mike Rizzo decided to add two veterans and hope their combined production would get the job done at a fraction of the cost. How'd it work out? Not bad at all....

Why Nats need to find a veteran catcher behind top tandem

Why Nats need to find a veteran catcher behind top tandem
When the Nationals re-signed catcher Yan Gomes to a two-year, $10 million contract in late November, it assured them of retaining their productive tandem behind the plate for at least another season. Gomes rejoined Kurt Suzuki, who is entering the final campaign of a two-year, $10 million deal inked last offseason. That's two catchers who the veteran Nationals pitchers love throwing to, two guys who hold their own with the leather and were surprisingly productive at the plate last season,...

Nationals have trade chips if they're inclined to deal

Nationals have trade chips if they're inclined to deal
The entire baseball world today makes it way to San Diego, where on Monday the 2019 Winter Meetings open for business. As always, the focus will be on free agents, many of them key members of the Nationals' championship roster. But the odds of Stephen Strasburg or Anthony Rendon signing this week probably aren't great. Agent Scott Boras is still in the preliminary stages of a courtship process with several franchises that could drag on well into the winter. So perhaps the more likely...

During AFL, Sharp worked on slowing spin rate on sinker

During AFL, Sharp worked on slowing spin rate on sinker
To see how Sterling Sharp is a little bit different athletically than maybe your average baseball player, check out his dunking skills on his Twitter home page: Incase @MiLB or @MLB ever decides to have a dunk contest 🙋🏾‍♂️🤷🏽‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/ZnE2kgyJir -- Sterling Sharp (@DatDude_Ster42) November 19, 2017 In part two, we continue our conversation with the 24-year-old right-hander in the Nationals system, who demonstrated his...

Banks worked on his approach in Arizona, now preps for 2020

Banks worked on his approach in Arizona, now preps for 2020
In part one of our visit with Nick Banks, an outfielder in the Nationals system, we spoke about his experience in the Arizona Fall League. A valuable part of that experience is meshing with and learning from new coaches. In part two, we look into what Ken Joyce, a hitting coach from the New York Yankees organization, was able to do to help Banks with his swing and his approach at the plate. "I loved him. He really did help me a lot this offseason and in the fall league," Banks said. "Just...

Suzuki remains on active roster after MRI on hip

Suzuki remains on active roster after MRI on hip
Kurt Suzuki will remain on the Nationals' active roster for Game 4 of the World Series after undergoing an MRI of his right hip that convinced club officials the veteran catcher would be available tonight if something happened to teammate Yan Gomes. Suzuki had to depart Game 3 on Friday night in the bottom of the sixth, a few minutes after he blocked a pitch and injured his right hip flexor. The 36-year-old was uncertain after the game if he'd be well enough to return for tonight's game, but...

Suero, Voth added to Nationals bullpen for NLDS

Suero, Voth added to Nationals bullpen for NLDS
LOS ANGELES - With a best-of-five National League Division Series to consider now instead of a winner-take-all wild card game, the Nationals knew they were going to need to make some roster adjustments. Those adjustments, it turns out, come in the form of two extra pitchers added to their bullpen to face the Dodgers: Wander Suero and Austin Voth. After carrying only nine pitchers for Tuesday's wild card win over the Brewers - they actually used only three of them - the Nationals will now have...