Tracking down former Nats position players

Tracking down former Nats position players
Baseball rosters are a constantly changing entity. Teams make moves throughout a season and offseason, calling up this player, sending another player down, trading this one away, signing this one off the open market. In the process, a lot of players who become well-known and popular among fans, teammates and media alike disappear, never to be heard from again in these parts. The Nationals, like every other team in baseball, have parted ways with plenty of once-popular players over the years....

Rizzo on rehabbing players, den Dekker DFA (Nationals win 4-1)

Rizzo on rehabbing players, den Dekker DFA (Nationals win 4-1)
NEW YORK - Stephen Strasburg and Joe Ross have both passed recent tests on their injured arms and both remain on track to rejoin the Nationals' active roster within the next week or so. Strasburg threw another bullpen session this afternoon at Citi Field, his third in the last week. He continues to ramp things up, but given the fact he hasn't missed much time with a sore elbow, the Nationals believe he'll be able to return without making any minor league rehab starts. "Everything looked...

Burnett, Latos among September call-ups (den Dekker DFA)

Burnett, Latos among September call-ups (den Dekker DFA)
NEW YORK - The Nationals will have their first set of September reinforcements at their disposal for tonight's series opener against the Mets, including a pair of well-known veterans getting a shot at redemption. The club promoted seven players to the big league roster this afternoon: left-handers Sean Burnett and Matt Grace; right-handers Mat Latos, Trevor Gott and Rafael Martin; catcher Pedro Severino; and outfielder Brian Goodwin. Needing to clear two spots on the 40-man roster so Burnett...

Steve Mears: Opportunity in offing as Zimmerman awaits blessed event

Steve Mears: Opportunity in offing as Zimmerman awaits blessed event
Have you looked lately to see what the one-two punch for the Syracuse Chiefs have been doing? Trea Turner and Brian Goodwin are just tearing up Triple-A while wreaking havoc on the base paths. They are usually running the bases two times a game if they get up five times since both are hovering around a .380 on-base percentage and have found other ways to get on base. Both are almost certain locks to be called up in September or sooner, and the Nationals might have a need real soon as it turns...

Game 36 lineups: Marlins at Nationals

Game 36 lineups: Marlins at Nationals
Right-hander Stephen Strasburg gets the call in Game 1 of today's day-night doubleheader against the Marlins, fresh off signing a new seven-year, $175 million contract extension with the Nationals. Right-hander Tanner Roark gets the nod for the Nats in the nightcap. Strasburg is 5-0 with a 2.76 ERA in seven starts over 49 innings, the best start to a season in his career. He has struck out 58 batters and walked 12.The Nationals have recalled outfielder Matt den Dekker from Triple-A Syracuse...

Revere ready to go "all-out" in return, while Taylor returns to bench

Revere ready to go "all-out" in return, while Taylor returns to bench
CHICAGO - Ben Revere awoke this morning to a text from his agent, Barry Meister, that contained a simple-yet-significant message: "Second opening day of the season!" Suffice it to say, Revere is just a bit fired up to be back in the Nationals lineup after straining his right oblique muscle on his very first swing of the season. "I'm real happy," he said. "It was kind of a bummer missing the first month of the season, with the team doing so well without you. The chemistry in that locker...

Revere activated off DL, den Dekker optioned to Syracuse

Revere activated off DL, den Dekker optioned to Syracuse
CHICAGO - The Nationals have activated Ben Revere off the disabled list and will have their leadoff man and center fielder available to them this afternoon for the first time since opening day. Needing to clear a spot for Revere on the active roster, the Nats optioned Matt den Dekker to Triple-A Syracuse, a decision manager Dusty Baker admitted earlier this week would be particularly tough. A key offseason acquisition from the Blue Jays in the Drew Storen trade, Revere barely got a chance to...

Ben Revere finishes rehab, will join Nationals in Chicago

Ben Revere finishes rehab, will join Nationals in Chicago
KANSAS CITY - The Nationals are getting their leadoff man back at last. Now they hope he helps complete a lineup that has sorely missed him for the last month. Ben Revere has completed his rehab assignment with Triple-A Syracuse and will meet the Nationals in Chicago tonight, manager Dusty Baker said. The club won't decide for sure when to activate the center fielder off the disabled until he is checked out in person, but there's a good chance he'll be in the lineup for Thursday night's...

Steve Mears: A look at the Nats' developing outfielders

Steve Mears: A look at the Nats' developing outfielders
The Nationals' minor league affiliates are developing outfielders, and this started years ago with Billy Burns, who was used as trade bait to snag Jerry Blevins. In a subsequent trade of Blevins, Mike Rizzo traded him to snag Matt den Dekker. Let's review the pipeline of prospects: * Hagerstown Low-A, Victor Robles* Potomac High-A, Andrew Stevenson* Harrisburg Double-A, Rafael Bautista* Syracuse Triple-A, Brian Goodwin All of those minor leaguers are currently batting over .300 and each have...

Baker, Nats players and coaches visit Walter Reed National Military Medical Center

Baker, Nats players and coaches visit Walter Reed National Military Medical Center
Nationals manager Dusty Baker, coaches and players visited service members and their families at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center this morning. Players in attendance included Tanner Roark, Michael A. Taylor, Joe Ross, Danny Epinosa, Blake Treinen, Oliver Perez and Matt den Dekker. Baker said it meant a great deal for his team to be able to share some time with service members and their families. "It was gratifying, but sad at the same time," Baker said. "It was a situation...

Chris Heisey walk-off homer ends 16-inning marathon, Nats win 6-5

Chris Heisey walk-off homer ends 16-inning marathon, Nats win 6-5
Bryce Harper doesn't even need to start games any more to have a major impact. Neither does Chris Heisey. Heisey's walk-off homer, the first of his career, ended a 16-inning marathon as the Nationals came back twice to sweep the Twins with a 6-5 win. Not in the starting lineup for the first time this season, Harper arrived in the bottom of the ninth to pinch-hit with his team down 4-3. Facing the Twins closer Kevin Jepsen, Harper crushed a 3-2 fastball over the center field fence to tie the...

First-inning success continues even without Harper (Nats win in 16)

First-inning success continues even without Harper (Nats win in 16)
No Bryce Harper? No problem for the Nationals, who continue to produce in the first inning even without their MVP slugger. Matt den Dekker, subbing in right field to give Harper his first day off this season, opened the bottom of the first this afternoon with a homer into the right field bullpen, giving the Nationals a quick lead on the Twins. den Dekker, who hammered a 3-1 fastball from rookie right-hander Tyler Duffey, became merely the latest member of the Nationals lineup to make a dent...

den Dekker caps wild day with game-winning double

den Dekker caps wild day with game-winning double
ATLANTA - Matt den Dekker was at NBT Bank Stadium in Syracuse at 2:30 p.m. today, taking batting practice in 35-degree weather, when Chiefs manager Billy Gardner called him into his office. The Nationals were placing Ben Revere on the disabled list with a strained right oblique muscle, Gardner explained, and were calling up den Dekker to take his place. The young outfielder needed to get back to his apartment ASAP, pack his bags and get to the airport so he could make a late-afternoon flight to...

Revere lands on DL with oblique strain, den Dekker recalled

Revere lands on DL with oblique strain, den Dekker recalled
ATLANTA - The Nationals managed to stay remarkably healthy all spring, offering a glimmer of hope they would enjoy some better fortune this season than the last two. But that good luck didn't even last one batter into the 2016 campaign. The club was forced to place Ben Revere on the 15-day disabled list this afternoon with a right oblique strain, an injury the new leadoff man and center fielder suffered on his very first swing in the top of the first inning during Monday's opener at Turner...

Nats game blog: Strasburg looks to turn tables on previous visits to Atlanta

Nats game blog: Strasburg looks to turn tables on previous visits to Atlanta
The Nationals look to start the season 2-0 as they wrap up a series in Atlanta against the Braves. Right-hander Stephen Strasburg has gone just 3-3 with a 4.79 ERA in nine career starts at Turner Field. His 19 walks there are the most he has surrendered in any visiting ballpark. But last season, Strasburg finished strong, going 6-2 with a 1.90 ERA in his final 10 starts of the season. He battled injury in the first half, going just 5-5 with a 5.16 ERA in 13 starts. Right-hander Bud Norris split...

Treinen gets final bullpen spot, Heisey will be right-handed pinch-hitter

Treinen gets final bullpen spot, Heisey will be right-handed pinch-hitter
Right-hander Blake Treinen has secured the final spot in the Nationals bullpen, while veteran Chris Heisey has claimed a role as a backup outfielder and right-handed pinch-hitter. After Friday night's 4-3 win in an exhibition game against the Twins at Nationals Park, the Nats made a series of roster moves that finalized the composition of manager Dusty Baker's seven-man bullpen and made the bench picture much clearer. Outfielder Matt den Dekker and right-hander Trevor Gott were optioned to...

Breaking down the final bench candidates

Breaking down the final bench candidates
JUPITER, Fla. - The Nationals essentially have two more roster decisions to make by Sunday's major league deadline. One involves the bullpen. The other involves the bench. We've gone through the various bullpen options (which are complicated some by the possibility of the Nats carrying eight relievers until they need a fifth starter on April 13), but we haven't spent as much time running discussing the final bench options. There are all sorts of factors to consider here. It's not nearly as...

den Dekker hoping to prevail in crowded backup outfield derby

den Dekker hoping to prevail in crowded backup outfield derby
VIERA, Fla. - After riding the shuttle between Triple-A Syracuse and the Nationals last season, outfielder Matt den Dekker finally hit his stride in September, slashing .298/.353/.596 in his final 26 games. If he was looking for a springboard into 2016, the late-season offensive surge provided it. "I think the last couple of years, I've always finished strong," he said. "That's something I'm proud of and I just want to carry that over to the start of this year and have a strong start. The...

Out of the Park: Pitchers and catchers report to start spring training

Out of the Park: Pitchers and catchers report to start spring training
I have some housekeeping business to address before we get to the best of the Nationals getting ready for spring training. As I'm sure you've noticed by now, we have a new Nats beat reporter here on MASNsports.com, Mark Zuckerman! Guess the news is out there now: Yes, I've been hired as @masnNationals new beat writer. Thrilled to get started, heading to Viera tomorrow! -- Mark Zuckerman (@MarkZuckerman) February 16, 2016 JUST IN: Welcome @MarkZuckerman as MASN's new #Nats beat writer!...

Deep and healthy, the Nationals outfield appears set

Deep and healthy, the Nationals outfield appears set
Multiple injuries had the Nationals experimenting in the outfield most of last season. Danny Espinosa and Clint Robinson, both career infielders, logged several innings in the outfield for the first time in the majors. Michael A. Taylor was expected to receive more seasoning in the minors. Instead, he ended up as the opening day center fielder and leadoff hitter, and appeared in 138 games. Even Reed Johnson and Matt den Dekker, who were acquired in the final days of spring training, made the...