Washington Nationals: Breaking News, Rumors & Highlights

Nationals Skipper Explains Why He Pulled Orlando Ribalta in Ninth Inning

If any Washington Nationals fan had deja vu on Wednesday night, it's not hard to see why. Exactly one day after the Nationals were a strike away from beating the Philadelphia Phillies before there was a ninth-inning implosion, Washington faced that situation once again.

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The Quiz of the Day

The one silver lining to Washington Nationals historic bullpen struggles

To say that the Nationals’ bullpen has been bad might be the understatement of the century. They’re not just struggling, they’re performing at a level so poor that they redefine the definition of a “bad bullpen”.

Dylan Crews News / Just Baseball / June 25

Is It Time To Worry About Dylan Crews?

When the 2023 MLB draft rolled around, two LSU teammates were the main focus. Pitcher Paul Skenes was the high-upside arm in the draft, while the rest of the top five was hitter focused.

Washington Nationals News / Federal Baseball / June 25

The Washington Nationals closer by committee experiment has failed spectacularly

This series has exposed the Washington Nationals fatal flaw. They cannot close out games to save their life. Nationals pitchers who come in the game in the 9th inning of a close game feel like fish out of water.

Cam Schlittler News / Yardbarker Quizzes

The 'Most K's through 30 MLB starts' quiz

How many of the starting pitchers in the MLB Live-Ball Era (since 1920) to strike out at least 180 batters in their first 30 starts can you name in six minutes?

The 'MLB playoff debut strikeouts leaders' quiz

The 'Multiple 30/30 Club MLB seasons' quiz

The 'MLB all-time strikeout leaders' quiz

Washington Nationals News / Washington Nationals on SI / June 24

Nationals Try to Improve Pitching Staff by Claiming Experienced Reliever Off Waivers

It seems like the Washington Nationals are trying to address their bullpen issues following a massive collapse against the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday night.

MLB News / Yardbarker

25 MLB players most likely to be traded by the deadline

The MLB Trade Deadline has been quieter in recent years, in part due to playoff expansion, but 2026 is shaping up to be a more exciting one with several big names.

Curtis Mead News / Athlon Sports / June 24

Curtis Mead Has a 135 wRC+ and His xwOBA Confirms Every Bit of It

Curtis Mead is rostered in just 18% of Yahoo! fantasy baseball leagues. While you’ve probably noticed that he was available on your league’s waiver wire, you may have been reluctant to snatch him up based on his .221 BA through his first 64 games.

Justin Lawrence News / Federal Baseball / June 24

Washington Nationals claim hard throwing sidearmer Justin Lawrence off waivers

Clearly, Paul Toboni and the front office knew that they needed to shake up the bullpen in some way. It started with demoting Paxton Schultz for Carson Palmquist.

Luis Perales News / Federal Baseball / June 24

The Washington Nationals should convert Luis Perales into a reliever

As we all know, the Nationals need guys with louder stuff in the bullpen. They rank last in stuff+ and whiff rate among relievers. However, I think they have a potential solution sitting in their Triple-A rotation.

Paxton Schultz News / Washington Nationals on SI / June 24

Nationals Demote Paxton Schultz, Call Up In-Season Trade Acquisition as Replacement

Following a huge meltdown by the Washington Nationals bullpen on Tuesday, the organization decided to shuffle the relief staff once again. The team announced that right-hander Paxton Schultz had been optioned to Triple-A Rochester following Tuesday's contest.

Washington Nationals News / Washington Nationals on SI / June 23

Massive Sell-Off at Trade Deadline Could Have Long-Term Ramifications for Nationals

The Washington Nationals are doing something at this stage of the season that nobody expected, as they are firmly in the National League playoff picture.

Washington Nationals News / Washington Nationals on SI / June 23

Nationals Pipeline Report: Eli Willits, Gavin Fien Stay Red-Hot

It's been an incredible start to the year for the Washington Nationals when it comes to their pipeline. Not only have the prospects they acquired in the MacKenzie Gore deal lived up to the hype, but some of the stars already in the farm system have also taken steps forward in their careers.

Athletics News / Yardbarker

25 MLB players who could be first-time All-Stars in 2026

Being named to the Midsummer Classic is one of the biggest honors for MLB players. These 25 players have a chance to make their first All-Star appearance in 2026 based on their first-half performances.

DJ Herz News / MLB Trade Rumors / June 23

Nationals Shut Down DJ Herz With Flexor Muscle Strain

Nationals left-hander DJ Herz suffered a setback in his recovery from last year’s Tommy John procedure. Skipper Blake Butera told reporters (including Byron Kerr of MLB.com) that the southpaw has been pulled off his rehab assignment after suffering a flexor muscle strain.

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The '2nd-overall NBA Draft picks' quiz

The 'Multi-time NBA MVPs' quiz

The 'No.1 NBA Draft picks' quiz

The 'Most K's through 30 MLB starts' quiz

MLB News / Washington Nationals on SI / June 22

How Each Possible Result Could Affect the Nationals in Their Series Against Phillies

The Washington Nationals are coming off their first series loss since the beginning of the month after they dropped two out of three against the Tampa Bay Rays.

DJ Herz News / Washington Nationals on SI / June 22

Nationals Pitcher DJ Herz Suffers Key Injury Setback on Rehab Assignment

There was some unfortunate news for the Washington Nationals revealed on Sunday. Left-handed pitcher DJ Herz, who was scheduled to make a start for Single-A Fredericksburg as part of his rehab assignment, experienced forearm soreness following his last appearance on June 16.

Washington Nationals News / Washington Nationals on SI / June 22

Former Top Prospect Seen as 'Best Trade Bait' for Nationals Ahead of Deadline

The Washington Nationals find themselves in an interesting spot six weeks before the trade deadline. They have a record of 40-38. They entered June 22 a half-game out of the final NL Wild Card spot.

MLB News / Field Level Media / June 22

Homer streaks on line when Phillies visit Nationals

CJ Abrams looks to extend his homer streak to four games when the Washington Nationals open a four-game homestand against the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday night.

Blake Butera News / Field Level Media / June 21

Nationals manager Blake Butera sees defense key to winning vs. Rays

The Washington Nationals will attempt to win their sixth straight road series when they face the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday afternoon in St. Petersburg, Fla.

MLB News / Field Level Media / June 20

Nationals deliver rare victory over Rays

Andres Chaparro dribbled in the tiebreaking run, Washington's bullpen finished with 6 1/3 strong innings, and the Nationals won 4-3 over Tampa Bay to even their series with the Rays on Saturday afternoon in St.

Dylan Crews News / Athlon Sports / June 20

Dylan Crews Is Chasing Too Much and Making the Best Contact of His Career. Both Things Are True.

Dylan Crews is an interesting case in the fantasy baseball world, where his final fantasy verdict varies depending on which number you look at. His surface stats scream at owners to drop him from their rosters.

Shinnosuke Ogasawara News / MLB Trade Rumors / June 18

Shinnosuke Ogasawara Signs With NPB’s Yomiuri Giants

Left-hander Shinnosuke Ogasawara officially signed with the Yomiuri Giants of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball on Thursday. He’d been in Double-A with the Nationals but was granted his release on Monday.

CJ Abrams News / MLB on ClutchPoints / June 18

Braves’ perfect trade offer for Nationals’ CJ Abrams

The injury news has piled up for the Atlanta Braves in the lineup and also on the mound. Therefore, a deal might be in the offing. And here is the Braves’ perfect trade offer for the Nationals’ CJ Abrams.

Julian Fernandez News / MLB on ClutchPoints / June 18

Nationals release former Dodgers pitcher

The Washington Nationals released right-handed pitcher Julian Fernandez Wednesday after he cleared waivers, following his designation for assignment last week and removal from the 40-man roster.

Washington Nationals News / MLB Trade Rumors / June 17

Nationals Release Julian Fernández

The Nationals announced Wednesday that they’ve requested unconditional release waivers on righty Julian Fernández, whom they’d designated for assignment last week.

MLB News / Yardbarker / June 15

Dodgers' Mookie Betts earning All-Star votes despite struggles

When it comes to Mookie Betts' actual production so far during the 2026 season, the Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop is enduring the worst year of his career.

Mookie Betts blows Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s perfect game in unbelievable fashion

Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani eases knee concerns with leadoff HR vs. White Sox

White Sox notch first series victory over Dodgers since 2014 with comeback win

Yankees might have a strong competitor for Aroldis Chapman

The 'MLB playoffs all-time hit leaders' quiz

Foster Griffin News / Yardbarker / June 9

Why Nationals' Foster Griffin merits Rookie of Year consideration

Since returning from Japan and signing with the Washington Nationals this offseason, left-hander Foster Griffin has been worth every penny.

How Mets' schedule could impact if they become sellers ahead of trade deadline

Mets' Kodai Senga problem not going away

The 'Last 30-HR season by MLB team' quiz

James Wood News / Just Baseball / June 8

James Wood Has Become the Offensive Anchor the Nationals Needed

For the better part of the past several seasons, the Washington Nationals have been searching for the foundational pieces of their next competitive roster.