PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. – The day has come at last. It’s the final day of spring training. Later this evening, the Nationals will board their charter flight and head north to D.C. But first, there’s one last game to play down here.

The Nats, who at 15-11-1 already are assured of finishing with a winning Grapefruit League record, head up the road to face the Mets in this afternoon’s finale. They’ll have Patrick Corbin on the mound making his final tune-up start before he takes the mound Saturday in Cincinnati for Game 2 of the regular season.

The lineup isn’t quite what we’ll see Thursday in Cincinnati, but it’s probably close. Riley (“Grey Pants”) Adams is behind the plate for one more spring road game. And Joey Meneses has the day off, leaving Eddie Rosario as the designated hitter. Trey Lipscomb (still in contention for the final spot on the roster) is on the trip but will come off the bench.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. NEW YORK METS
Where: Clover Park, Port St. Lucie
Gametime: 1:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MLB.tv (Mets feed)
Radio: MLB.com (Mets feed)
Weather: Partly cloudy, 76 degrees, wind 18 mph in from center field

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
RF Lane Thomas
LF Jesse Winker
DH Eddie Rosario
1B Joey Gallo
3B Nick Senzel
2B Luis García Jr.
C Riley Adams
CF Victor Robles

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The Nationals made four more cuts following tonight’s split-squad, day-night doubleheader, and in the process left themselves with only one more decision to make before their Opening Day roster is set.

The club optioned outfielders Alex Call and Jacob Young and catcher Drew Millas to Triple-A Rochester and reassigned reliever Jacob Barnes to minor league camp, leaving only 27 healthy players remaining heading into the final day of spring training.

The demotions of Call and Young leave the Nationals with four remaining outfielders, all of whom are expected to make the team: Lane Thomas, Victor Robles, Eddie Rosario and Jesse Winker. The latter two, who are on minor league contracts, will need to be added to the 40-man roster.

The demotion of Millas leaves the Nats’ catching tandem from the majority of the last two seasons (Keibert Ruiz and Riley Adams) intact.

The reassignment of Barnes, who pitched a scoreless inning tonight and finished the spring with an 0.87 ERA and 15 strikeouts in 10 1/3 innings, appears to solidify the Nationals’ Opening Day bullpen. Barring a late addition from outside the organization, the eight-man relief corps will include Kyle Finnegan, Hunter Harvey, Dylan Floro, Tanner Rainey, Jordan Weems, Derek Law, Matt Barnes and Robert Garcia (the lone left-hander in the group). Law and Barnes, who signed minor league deals after camp began, will also need to be added to the 40-man roster.

JUPITER, Fla. – It hadn’t really dawned on Jake Irvin that his final start of the spring came against what very well may be the Cardinals’ Opening Day lineup, which the young Nationals right-hander proceeded to hold to one hit and two weeks over six sparkling innings.

Asked if he felt it was significant he performed that well against a full major league lineup, Irvin shrugged.

“Sure, I can’t say necessarily that it is,” he replied. “For me, it’s competing, throwing strikes, a lot of strikes today. That’s the main goal.”

Consider this, then, another important step in Irvin’s development throughout a spring that proved to be exceptional. After getting roughed up once March 1 while admittedly working on some new things, he flipped the script completely, focused on competing to the best of his abilities.

And the results were fantastic. Over his final three Grapefruit League starts, Irvin tossed 15 scoreless innings, scattering four hits and two walks while striking out 13.

JUPITER, Fla. – The Nationals weren’t able to play Friday night due to persistent rain across the entire state of Florida. So they’ll try to play two today … even though neither is a makeup game against the Astros! See, the Nats already had a day-night, split-squad doubleheader scheduled. (Such great planning for the second-to-last day of spring training, huh?)

It all gets started at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium, where half of the team will face the Cardinals and Miles Mikolas for the third time in 12 days. The veteran right-hander didn’t give up much in those previous two matchups, allowing a total of three runs in 10 innings. Jake Irvin will oppose Mikolas, and he’s been excellent each of his last two starts against the Mets and Marlins, totaling nine scoreless innings on three hits, zero walks and 10 strikeouts.

The nightcap sees the other half of the Nationals staying home in West Palm Beach to face the Marlins, with Josiah Gray making his final tune-up before he takes the mound for real Opening Day in Cincinnati. Gray had a wild night against the Astros on Monday, walking seven, striking out six but somehow only allowing one run in five innings. He’ll look to find the strike zone just a bit more this time.

You’ll notice some players who were part of Friday’s roster cuts in the lineups today and tonight. Because of the split-squad situation, the Nationals have no choice but to use every available body, even those no longer in major league camp.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS (ss) vs. ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
Where: Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium, Jupiter
Gametime: 1:05 p.m. EDT
TV: None
Radio: MLB.com (Cardinals feed)
Weather: Rain ending, 77 degrees, wind 16 mph out to right field

Today, Peter G. Angelos passed away quietly at the age of 94. Mr. Angelos had been ill for several years, and the family thanks the doctors, nurses, and caregivers who brought comfort to him in his final years. It was Mr. Angelos' wish to have a private burial, and the family asks for understanding as they honor that request. Donations may be sent to charity in lieu of flowers.

JUPITER, Fla. – Trevor Williams will open the season in the Nationals’ rotation, but the leash on the veteran right-hander could be short.

In granting Zach Davies his unconditional release Friday, the Nats also selected Williams for the final spot in the Opening Day rotation, hoping the 31-year-old can bounce back from a difficult 2023 season. But with pitching prospect Jackson Rutledge beginning the season at Triple-A Rochester and Cade Cavalli expected to return from Tommy John surgery in June, the organization will have alternate options in the near future, putting pressure on Williams to pitch well enough to keep his job.

“It was a tough choice, a tough decision,” manager Davey Martinez said. “We decided we were going to go with Trevor as our fifth starter. So Trevor will be our fifth starter. … Zach was a professional. He’s a good guy. I wish him all the best. And hopefully, he gets picked up somewhere. But Trevor’s done well. I think he deserves a chance, at least at the beginning, to start. And then we’ll see where it goes from there.”

Martinez said the Nationals offered Davies (who finished with a Grapefruit League ERA of 9.00 after a seven-run inning in his last start) the opportunity to report to Rochester, but the 31-year-old opted to become a free agent and attempt to sign with another club.

The decision to stick with Williams (who is making $7 million this season) in the rotation, rather than move him to the bullpen, has a domino effect on several relievers still competing for spots on the Opening Day roster. With Robert Garcia likely to make it as the only lefty in the group, there are now three veteran right-handers on minor league contracts trying to win two remaining jobs: Derek Law, Jacob Barnes and Matt Barnes.

SARASOTA, Fla. – To say that Jackson Holliday’s exclusion from the Opening Day roster is a stunning development wouldn’t be accurate. I felt like I kept advising people to brace for bad news, that it wasn’t a sure thing.

It ain’t on ‘till it’s on.

I gave Holliday less than a 50 percent chance before the Winter Meetings, jumped into the 60-70 percent range while flying out of Nashville, and came back down as Holliday’s strikeouts rose.

The improved at-bats and overall impressive play moved me again, but never to the point of feeling secure in his placement on a mock roster. I straddled that fence until it left permanent marks. Take my word for it.

One reason for my hesitancy in thinking that Holliday would be in Baltimore March 28 is how it went against the club’s usual cautious and deliberate handling of a top prospect in making the jump from Triple-A to the majors. This isn’t new. Or have we forgotten the Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson watches?

As it turns out the bigger surprise may have come during the Winter Meetings in Nashville in December. For anyone then pondering whether Jackson Holliday could make the O's Opening Day roster after just 18 Triple-A games (22 counting playoffs), there was logic and reason to say that that was just too few. 

The kid could use more seasoning.

So reporters might have expected Mike Elias to say something like sure they love the kid, he’s a remarkable talent and they’ll take a long look in spring training.

Instead, he raised a few eyebrows when he stated he was “a very strong possibility” to make the OD roster.

But, after all that and Holliday at age 20 having a strong spring camp, he will not make it. Surprised again. I was anyway, speaking for one.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The Nationals moved a step closer to finalizing their Opening Day roster this afternoon, cutting nine players from big league camp, including top prospects James Wood, Dylan Crews and Brady House.

Wood, Crews and House were reassigned to minor league camp, along with lefties Richard Bleier and Joe La Sorsa; infielder Juan Yepez, outfielder Robert Hassell III and catcher Israel Pineda. Zach Davies was granted his unconditional release, making the veteran right-hander a free agent and seemingly keeping the Nats’ rotation intact heading into the season.

The demotions of Wood, Crews and House did not come as a huge surprise. None was expected to make the club coming into their first big league camp, though Wood made a strong case for himself with a dominant first week and ultimately a .342/.491/.707 slash line in 21 Grapefruit League games, including a team-high four homers.

For all his success this spring, though, Wood (like the others) has yet to spend a day at Triple-A Rochester, where he is likely to open the season. The 21-year-old outfielder figures to be in line to make his major league debut sometime this season, provided he stays healthy and continues to perform on the field.

Crews and House, two of the Nationals’ last three first-round draft picks, each had some positive moments this spring, most recently Crews’ walk-off single to seal Thursday afternoon’s win over the Twins. But both also looked overmatched at times against big leaguers, with Crews finishing with a .161/.297/.323 slash line in 19 games and House finishing 7-for-28 with one homer, zero walks and five strikeouts.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Tonight's exhibition game between the Nationals and Astros has been canceled due to heavy rain that is not expected to let up throughout the evening, the teams announced. It will not be made up.

The Nats were hoping to get work for a number of relievers tonight, with Derek Law starting a bullpen game.

The team already is scheduled to play a split-squad, day-night doubleheader on Saturday, with Jake Irvin starting the 1:05 p.m. game against the Cardinals in Jupiter and Josiah Gray starting the 6:05 p.m. game against the Marlins in West Palm Beach. Manager Davey Martinez will hope to get all of his relievers sufficient work between those two games.

The Grapefruit League schedule wraps up Sunday afternoon when the Nationals face the Mets in Port St. Lucie.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Trevor Williams walked from the Nationals dugout to a pitching mound seven different times Thursday afternoon. He threw a total of 90 pitches during that time.

So why does the official box score from the Nats’ 9-8 win over the Twins show Williams having only pitched five innings? Let’s attempt to explain …

Williams completed his first four innings in rapid fashion, facing only a batter over the minimum, with a scant pitch count of 44. The plan was to get him up to 90 pitches in his final Grapefruit League start of the spring.

But with a host of Nationals relievers also needing work, the innings were going to run out. So manager Davey Martinez and pitching coach Jim Hickey told Williams he would be pulled at some point during the top of the fifth. By the time that point came, the right-hander had already allowed four runs on four hits.

In came Matt Barnes, who induced a double play grounder to end the inning. But when the top of the sixth arrived, there was Williams re-taking the mound, taking advantage of a special spring training rule allowing a pitcher to depart mid-inning if his pitch count gets high and then re-enter the game the following inning.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – It was the bottom of the ninth on March 21, with the remnants of a crowd of 2,915 watching and a Double-A left-hander pitching for a Twins team that barely brought any major leaguers across the state with them for today’s exhibition game.

The Nationals had already scored the tying run, thanks to James Wood’s leadoff homer. Now there were two outs, the winning run leading off second base in the form of Alex Call, and Dylan Crews standing in the batter’s box with a chance to be the hero.

Crews has been a part of much bigger moments on a baseball field than this in his young life. Shoot, he celebrated a College World Series title only nine months ago. That didn’t diminish the stakes at all in his mind today.

“I mean, the way you prepare every day, and the way you treat every game, it should be like it’s a regular season game,” the 22-year-old outfielder said. “Or Game 7 of the World Series.”

So while Crews’ celebration after he ripped the RBI single to center that sealed the Nats’ 9-8 walk-off win looked muted to everyone watching, it was anything but muted inside his mind and his heart.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – As established players get their bodies ready for the regular season and players on the bubble battle for the final available roster spots, Stone Garrett still finds himself just trying to get his body reason for a full ballgame of any type.

Garrett, still recovering from a broken leg and injured ankle seven months ago, continues to get closer to his goal. But he’s not there yet.

The 28-year-old outfielder is now playing six or seven innings in minor league games, able to play the field and run the bases. But he hasn’t been able to play the full nine innings yet. And he won’t be appearing in any Grapefruit League games before the Nationals wrap things up this weekend and head north.

“He’s still got to go out there and repeat that every day now,” manager Davey Martinez said. “I think it’s still going to be some time. We’ll see. I know he’s itching to play a game down here with us. But I want to make sure we do the right thing for him. He’s pushing himself, which is great. But I want to make sure we check all the boxes, and he’s ready to go when he’s ready to go.”

Garrett came to spring training hoping to be ready to start the season on time, and the Nationals didn’t want to discourage him from shooting for that goal. But over the ensuing weeks, it became clear that was too optimistic. He looks fine at the plate, and he’s able to play in the outfield. But running continues to be the biggest obstacle, not to mention the recovery from one day’s activity to the next.

The Orioles have made the following minor league roster moves:

• Placed RHP Noah Denoyer on the Triple-A Norfolk Full-Season Injured List.
• Placed LHP Jakob Hernandez and RHP Nathan Webb on the Triple-A Norfolk 60-day Injured List.
• Placed RHP Jean Pinto on the Double-A Bowie Full-Season Injured List.
• Placed RHP Conner Loeprich on the Double-A Bowie 60-day Injured List.
• Placed RHP Daniel Federman and RHP Reese Sharp on the High-A Aberdeen Full-Season Injured List.
• Placed RHP Hugo Beltran, RHP Wyatt Cheney, INF Adam Crampton, LHP Andry Mercedes, and RHP Trey Nordmann on the Single-A Delmarva Full-Season Injured List.

The Baltimore Orioles and Coca-Cola Consolidated, the largest Coca-Cola bottler in the U.S., today announced a multiyear partnership designating Coca-Cola as the official beverage sponsor of the Orioles and Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

"We are excited to join forces with Coca-Cola Consolidated and their family of brands and flavors," said T.J. Brightman, Orioles Senior Vice President, Chief Revenue Officer. “This partnership represents our shared commitment to providing exceptional products that enhance our guest experience.”

Fans will now have the opportunity to enjoy Coca-Cola beverages as fountain drinks, in bottles and in cans while cheering on their home team – which will begin with MLB’s Opening Day on March 28 when the Orioles host the Los Angeles Angels at Oriole Park. In addition, spectators will experience several Coca-Cola Consolidated-led community events and drink samplings at select games.

"There's just something special about watching baseball with a Coca-Cola in your hand at Camden Yards, so we are thrilled to be part of creating memories alongside Orioles fans,” said Heather Hucks, Vice President of Consumer Connections at Coca-Cola Consolidated. “As Baltimore’s local bottler, we are excited to positively impact the Baltimore community.”

Coca-Cola Consolidated makes, sells and distributes beverages of The Coca-Cola Company and other partner companies in more than 300 brands and flavors across 14 states and the District of Columbia, to approximately 60 million consumers. It has served as the region’s local Coca-Cola bottler since 1902. Coca-Cola Consolidated currently has more than 725 teammates and serves more than 640 customers right here in Baltimore.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The competition for the final spot in the Nationals rotation seemed to create some clarity Wednesday night when Zach Davies was roughed up by the Cardinals for nine runs (seven of those coming during a torturous top of the fourth). Then again, it’s still up to Trevor Williams today to perform well enough to lock up the job.

A weak performance from Williams against the Twins could throw another wrench into this process and leave club officials still to decide which veteran right-hander should be the No. 5 starter after all. And there’s a domino effect to all this as well, because Williams would move to the bullpen if he’s not in the rotation, taking a precious spot away from someone else still in camp competing down to the wire.

Speaking of competitions going down to the wire, Luis García Jr. may need a good showing today to shift the narrative back in his direction and away from Trey Lipscomb, who had a huge night Wednesday and appears to be making a really strong case to make the team as the starting second baseman. García should be feeling the heat by now; let’s see how he handles it.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. MINNESOTA TWINS
Where: CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches, West Palm Beach
Gametime: 1:05 p.m.
TV: None
Radio: None
Weather: Partly cloudy, 79 degrees, wind 10 mph in from right field

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
RF Lane Thomas
LF Jesse Winker
1B Joey Gallo
C Keibert Ruiz
DH Eddie Rosario
2B Luis García Jr.
3B Ildemaro Vargas
CF Victor Robles

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Dylan Crews drew the lion’s share of attention when camp began, given his high-profile status coming out of LSU only seven months prior. James Wood stole the spotlight through the first week of Grapefruit League play, launching three homers that required tape-measure readings. Brady House and Robert Hassell III also were on everyone’s radar from the outset, given the hype that accompanied each player’s acquisition and the up-and-down path each has taken since.

But as the final days of spring training play out, and as the time for major decisions fast approaches, the prospect most likely to make the Nationals’ Opening Day roster is the one who was least-heralded of the group. The third round pick from less than two years ago. The guy without a natural position.

As the end of camp draws near, Trey Lipscomb is the one deservedly drawing the top reviews, the one perhaps making club officials reconsider their plan for him five weeks ago.

“I think the same about him all the time,” manager Davey Martinez said. “I love the kid.”

Enough to put him on the Opening Day roster? It’s sure starting to look like a real possibility.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Zach Davies has been doing this long enough to have real perspective. The 31-year-old right-hander is one of the most introspective players in Nationals camp this spring, understanding that the big picture matters but so does his most recent performance.

And his most recent performance was hard to ignore. For all the wrong reasons.

In his last scheduled start of the spring, Davies was roughed up by the Cardinals during a 13-4 trouncing, unable to get himself out of a seven-run top of the fourth that required 40 pitches on his part.

If this happened any of the previous springs, when Davies was assured a spot in his team’s Opening Day rotation, it wouldn’t have carried much weight. But in this spring, with Davies attempting to make the club off a minor league contract, it stood out like a sore thumb.

“I was extremely pleased with everything, except for the last inning that I pitched,” he said. “It’s unfortunate being in this position. Your last start of spring you don’t really have any more chances to show them what you have. All I can do is be prepared for whatever’s next.”

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The Nationals are down to their final 96 hours in Florida, which would typically be around the time club officials are paring down the roster and making their final choices for the Opening Day 26-man squad. As they prepare to take the field tonight against the Cardinals, though, they still officially have 45 players in big league camp (39 of them healthy).

And it doesn’t sound like the paring down is coming yet.

“We still haven’t made any final roster decisions, really at anything, except the obvious,” manager Davey Martinez said. “I can tell you CJ’s going to play shortstop.”

So there’s your breaking news for now: CJ Abrams will be the starting shortstop. Try not to express too much shock at that surprise revelation.

“The next few days, we’ve got a lot of decisions to make,” Martinez continued. “These guys have all done really well. They’re making things hard. For me, it’s a good problem to have until the day comes when it’s not so good.”

The Orioles have made the following roster move:

• Optioned LHP Nick Vespi to minor league camp.

The Orioles’ Spring Training roster currently has 45 players (34+10 NRI+1 IL).