The Nationals officially placed Drew Millas on the 10-day injured list with a fractured and dislocated left index finger (retroactive to Aug. 28) and selected the contract of catcher C.J. Stubbs from Triple-A Rochester this afternoon. Millas underwent successful surgery today to stabilize the fracture and repair the joint on his finger.

“I feel bad for him. It was sad,” said interim manager Miguel Cairo during his pregame media session ahead of Friday’s series opener against the Rays. “He was doing so good and he's one of the future of the team, catcher. And he was doing good hitting and catching and everything. So the surgery went well today. Hopefully we'll get to see him tomorrow, over here. He's gonna come in. But everything went well. They did some stuff with the fracture, but everything went well today.”

Millas hurt his finger when he was called for catcher’s interference in the third inning Wednesday during an Austin Wells at-bat, when the Yankees catcher’s bat made contact with the Nats backstop’s catching hand while swinging at a 97 mph fastball from Cade Cavalli. Following surgery, Millas is expected to be done for the rest of the season, but ready for spring training next year.

He finishes the season hitting .306 with five doubles, a triple, seven RBIs, two stolen bases and four walks in 18 games. The 27-year-old threw out 2-of-8 would-be basestealers.

To replace him, the Nationals chose Stubbs over Francisco Mejía and Brady Lindsly at Rochester. The 28-year-old catcher signed a minor league deal with the Nationals after the Astros released him in May 2024. He hit .161 with a .602 OPS, three doubles, a triple, a homer and five RBIs in 24 games with the Red Wings this year following a promotion from Double-A Harrisburg.

The Nationals’ nightmare in New York is over … at least until they go back to Queens in three weeks. But for now, they get to enjoy a six-game homestand, starting with three games against the Rays to start this holiday weekend.

Mitchell Parker will take the mound for the series opener after the Nats chose not to use yesterday’s off-day to skip his spot in the rotation and give him some extra time to work on some things. The struggling lefty is 7-14 with a 6.01 ERA on the season and the Nats are winless in his five August starts as he’s pitched to a 12.00 ERA this month. He’ll need to get back on track tonight to give his team a chance and start making a case for his rotation spot next year.

Adrian Houser makes the start for the Rays. Since coming over in a trade with the White Sox at the deadline, the right-hander is 1-2 with a 5.32 ERA over his four starts with Tampa Bay and he’s given up four or more runs in three of those outings. So this might be a good opportunity for the Nats' offense to get back on track.

And the Nationals made an expected roster move official this afternoon, placing Drew Millas on the injured list with a fractured and dislocated finger and selecting the contract of catcher C.J. Stubbs from Triple-A Rochester.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. TAMPA BAY RAYS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 6:45 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 The Fan, DC 87.7 (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Mostly clear, 76 degrees, wind 11 mph from left to right field

The Washington Nationals selected the contract of catcher C.J. Stubbs from Triple-A Rochester and placed catcher Drew Millas on the 10-day Injured List with a fractured and dislocated left second finger (retroactive to Aug. 28) on Friday. Nationals Interim General Manager Mike DeBartolo made the announcement.

Stubbs, 28, joins a Major League roster for the first time after he was taken in the 10^th round of the 2019 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Southern California. In six Minor League seasons, he hit .204 with 72 doubles, seven triples, 67 home runs, 203 RBI, 199 walks and 51 stolen bases in 472 games. Defensively, Stubbs has thrown out 114 attempted base-stealers in 371 tries, holding runners to a .693 stolen base percentage.

A native of San Diego, Calif., Stubbs was originally drafted by the Houston Astros before signing with the Nationals as a Minor League free agent on May 14, 2024.

Stubbs produced an extra-base hit in each of his final two games in Rochester prior to his call-up. He homered against Toledo on Aug. 22 and doubled against the Mud Hens on August 24. He has thrown out 28 of the 76 attempted base-stealers against him this season and his .632 opponents stolen base percentage this season ranks second in the Nationals organization.

Millas, 27, hit .306 with five doubles, a triple, seven RBI, two stolen bases and four walks in 18 games for the Nationals this season.

Rather than subject my mailbag to another West Coast flight and jet lag, I decided to dump some of its contents back home and travel light.

Carry on.

This is the latest sequel to the beloved 2008 original, which set box office records. It isn’t streaming anywhere, but I am … usually around 3 or 4 a.m.

If I did any editing, I’m keeping it to myself. No grand announcements about clarity, length, style or brevity. Sorry to cheat you out of that thrill.

Also, a reminder that my mailbag gets your mailbag in the camel clutch and won’t let go until it submits. Especially on hump day.

The American League Cy Young race is one of the two-man variety, coming down to the wire between Detroit’s Tarik Skubal and Boston’s Garrett Crochet. 

The latter has been dominant in a Red Sox uniform, posting a 2.38 ERA and over 11 strikeouts per nine innings entering this afternoon’s contest against the Orioles. 

The O’s were lucky to avoid Crochet for a two-game series up in Fenway. They didn’t get so lucky in this afternoon’s series finale in OPACY. 

In a game that Crochet starts, you’re fortunate to not be trailing when he leaves. That’s where the Orioles found themselves entering the seventh inning, all knotted at two. 

But it was the Red Sox bullpen that got the best of the Orioles, blanking the birds' bats in the final three innings. The Sox were able to push one run across in the eighth, and that was all they needed. The O's fell 3-2 and were swept in this four-game series. 

The business side of baseball reared up and bit reliever Roansy Contreras earlier today with news that the Orioles designated him for assignment to make room for right-hander Shawn Dubin.

Contreras finally got the call this week and made his Orioles debut last night, tossing 4 1/3 scoreless innings behind opener Dietrich Enns. He’s out of minor league options and would need to pass through waivers before the Orioles could outright him.

“Those are tough decisions,” said interim manager Tony Mansolino. “There was a lot of time spent on that, trying to figure out what the right thing to do was. We’ve got a lot of smart people who are looking at a lot of different type of information and trying to make the best decision they can.

“The coach in me wants him to get claimed because we want our players to play in the major leagues and get opportunities. The Baltimore Oriole in me wants him to get through and go unclaimed and be back in the fold for us.”

Dubin will be in the bullpen today.

Reliever Shawn Dubin has reported to the Orioles after a waiver claim from the Astros earlier this week. Roansy Contreras was designated for assignment to make room for him on the active roster.

The 40-man roster has 39 players.

Tough business. Contreras tossed 4 1/3 scoreless relief innings last night in his Orioles debut and is in limbo this morning.

"I'm very thankful to the Orioles organization for giving me the opportunity to be up in the big leagues and be here with them now,” he said last night. “So I'm very thankful for them.”

Contreras was the 65^th player used by the Orioles this season. Dubin can become the 66^th. Tyler Wells will be reinstated from the 60-day injured list when rosters expand and can become the 67^th if someone doesn’t beat him to it.

The expanded roster next month also lengthens the rotation to include a sixth starter, right-hander Tyler Wells, who pitched last night for Triple-A Norfolk on his rehab assignment and allowed two runs in 6 1/3 innings.

He’s stretched out to 90 pitches. Turn him loose.

The Orioles will ride with Wells, Trevor Rogers, Kyle Bradish, Dean Kremer, Tomoyuki Sugano and Cade Povich. They apparently won’t deviate from the plan unless there’s an injury. Extra rest for everyone.

Brandon Young didn’t want to go on an extended break, but he’ll have to settle for his 12 major league starts this season and flirting with perfection in Houston. The final count shows more lows than highs, which explains his 6.24 ERA and 1.543 WHIP, but also the valuable experience and exposure that can elevate his game in 2026.

Interim manager Tony Mansolino said Young got “a lot” out of his time with the Orioles, which was cut short by a strained left hamstring.

The second pitch thrown by Roansy Contreras with the Orioles drilled Alex Bregman in the middle of the back. Bregman winced and bent forward as the Red Sox’s athletic trainer rushed onto the field. Contreras had followed an opener and raised a welt.

Contreras was a pain to the Red Sox for most of his outing, retiring 12 of 14 after Bregman reached base in the Orioles’ 3-2 loss before an announced crowd of 16,790 at Camden Yards. He tossed 4 1/3 scoreless innings, with three hits allowed, and came close to earning his first win since July 28 with the Angels.

That reward went up in smoke in the ninth inning on Ceddanne Rafaela's two-run homer off Keegan Akin after Jarren Duran's leadoff single. Akin stood with his hands on his hips as the ball headed for the splash zone.

"I felt really good, especially because I had worked with (Samuel) Basallo down in Triple-A, so I think that made it much easier to go out there today and get the job done," Contreras said via interpreter Brandon Quinones.

"I'm very thankful to the Orioles organization for giving me the opportunity to be up in the big leagues and be here with them now. So, I'm very thankful for them."

NEW YORK – The Nationals can’t get out of New York City fast enough. They entered this afternoon’s finale against the Yankees 0-5 in the Big Apple this year after being swept by the Mets in a three-game series at Citi Field in June and dropping the first two games of this set at Yankee Stadium.

And they will remain winless in New York until their next trip to Queens in September after an 11-2 blowout loss, their third straight to get swept by the Yankees and their fifth straight defeat overall.

Just about everything that could have gone wrong for the Nationals today did. They couldn’t manufacture runs. They couldn’t prevent the Yankees from scoring. And they suffered injuries along the way, adding salt to an already wide-open wound.

If the power differential between these two teams wasn’t on display enough earlier this week, it definitely was in this finale.

The Yankees entered today with a major league-leading 219 home runs, while the Nats only had a measly 125 for the third-fewest. New York had already hit four to score eight of their 15 runs over the first two games. Washington had scored four of their six runs on one swing, Jacob Young’s ninth-inning grand slam Monday night.

The Orioles will switch to a six-man rotation after Tyler Wells is placed on the expanded roster next month.

Wells will become part of a unit that includes Kyle Bradish, Trevor Rogers, Dean Kremer, Tomoyuki Sugano and Cade Povich. The Orioles chose to start Wells rather than move him to the bullpen.

“If everybody can stay healthy, that would be great,” said interim manager Tony Mansolino.

“It’s good. It gives Dean an extra day, it gives Tomo an extra day. Nobody will pitch on regular rest the rest of the year.”

Bradish responded favorably to his first start beyond an injury rehab assignment last night since June 2024.

The Orioles are tampering with their roster again, with two more players coming in and two more going out.

Roansy Contreras was activated from the taxi squad and had his contract selected from Triple-A Norfolk, and he’ll work in bulk relief tonight, his first major league appearance since Sept. 29, 2024 with the Angels. He posted a 3.73 ERA in 28 appearances (14 starts) with Norfolk.

Infielder Emmanuel Rivera also had his contract selected.

To create room, the Orioles optioned Yaramil Hiraldo, who was charged with three runs last night in 1 1/3 innings and has a 5.65 ERA in 12 games, and they designated infielder Vimael Machín for assignment. They also transferred pitcher Brandon Young (hamstring) to the 60-day injured list, which ends his season.

Contreras will be the 64^th player used by the Orioles this season, two more than the franchise record set in 2021.

Kyle Bradish has stopped by the Camden Yards clubhouse in between rehab starts, but yesterday was different.

Teammates looked across the room and saw their starting pitcher.

They waited a long time for it.

Bradish made his return from elbow reconstructive surgery and struck out 10 batters in six innings. He allowed a pair of solo home runs among his four hits, and he didn’t issue a walk. The sinker was on point.

Having Bradish on the roster again is exactly what this club needs, no matter the outcome.

Kyle Bradish remembered his move. The pinpoint control was evident before his first pitch.

Bradish led the Orioles onto the field tonight, turned sideways as he jumped over the first base line and pounded his fist into his glove after landing. He was starting a major league game for the first time in 438 days, and fans didn’t let the moment pass without an ovation.

The Red Sox deviated a little from their assigned parts in the feel-good story of the returning ace who made it through elbow surgery and an extensive rehab. Bradish struck out eight batters over the first four innings but also surrendered a pair of leadoff home runs.

The velocity was good. The arm was healthy. The rotation immediately got better, for this year and in 2026. Nothing else mattered as much.

Bradish completed six innings on 81 pitches and struck out 10 in the Orioles’ 5-0 loss before an announced crowd of 14,776 at Camden Yards. He allowed two runs and four hits and didn’t issue a walk.

The Orioles summoned right-hander Roansy Contreras from Triple-A Norfolk today and placed him on the taxi squad.

The visit will last more than 24 hours.

Interim manager Tony Mansolino needs a starter for Wednesday night and said Contreras is going to pitch “a good amount.” The exact role is undetermined, but another roster move is lurking.

Contreras could start or work in bulk relief behind an opener.

“A lot will kind of depend on how we go through today,” Mansolino said.

Another bullpen move is coming for the Orioles.

The club announced today that it claimed right-hander Shawn Dubin on waivers from the Astros. He hasn’t reported.

Dubin, 29, made 23 appearances this season and posted a 5.61 ERA and 1.481 WHIP in 25 2/3 innings. Three of his last four outings came against the Orioles, when he allowed nine runs in four innings. His ERA was 1.33 on June 20 and he didn’t pitch again for Houston until Aug. 12.

The Astros designated Dubin for assignment on Saturday. He’s out of minor league options and has registered a 4.95 ERA and 1.550 WHIP in 57 games over three seasons.

The Orioles already have used a franchise-record 63 players this season. The old record was 62 in 2021.

The Washington Nationals, in conjunction with Major League Baseball, announced their 2026 schedule on Tuesday, highlighted by a home-opening series vs. the Dodgers, the traditional July 4 game in the nation’s capital, three games with the Yankees to close out the first half and more. Washington will begin the 2026 season on the road against the Chicago Cubs on Thursday, March 26 – the earliest start to the season in Nationals history (2005-pres.) before opening the home slate against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Ticket Plans for the 2026 season are on sale now and guarantee access to Opening Day. Fans who purchase by Sept. 1 can lock in early bird pricing and receive free tickets to home games in September 2025. More information is available at nats.com/Ticketfinder.

Following the opening series in Chicago, which marks the second time the Nationals have opened a season at Wrigley Field, the Club will travel to Philadelphia to face the Phillies for three games before returning to Washington, D.C. for the home opener against the Los Angeles Dodgers on April 3. The Nationals and Dodgers will square off in a three-game series over Easter Weekend before the St. Louis Cardinals come to the nation’s capital for three games (April 6-8) to complete the homestand.

The annual Beltway Series against the Baltimore Orioles will be played across two weekends, May 15-17 at Nationals Park and June 26-28 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

The Nationals will host the Pittsburgh Pirates for a three-game weekend series Friday through Sunday, July 3-5, highlighted by the traditional Fourth of July game at Nationals Park. That series marks the start of a nine-game homestand that will include a series against the Houston Astros (July 6-8) and a weekend series against the New York Yankees (July 10-12) – the final series before the 2026 All-Star break.

Washington’s first series following the break will start in Sacramento against the Athletics, July 17-19, followed by a three-game series at Colorado, July 20-22. The Nationals will return home on Friday, July 24 for a six-game homestand against the Arizona Diamondbacks (July 24-26) and Toronto Blue Jays (July 27-29).

The Orioles will begin the 2026 season at home for the second time in three seasons after five consecutive road openers.

Major League Baseball released the schedules earlier today and the Orioles host the Twins on March 26. The teams get an off-day and play two more games before the Rangers arrive for three.

The first road trip takes the Orioles to Pittsburgh from April 3-5 and Chicago to face the White Sox from April 6-8.

The All-Star break is July 13-16, followed by road games in Houston and Boston.

The Orioles end the season in New York again, with the final game played on Sept. 27. The last homestand brings the Brewers and Blue Jays to Baltimore.

Tomoyuki Sugano didn’t allow a run today while he was on the mound and the Orioles kept manufacturing them.

They were able to control everything except the weather.

Sugano shut out the Mariners over 5 1/3 innings before a series of storms forced a stoppage that lasted 2 hours and 18 minutes in the Orioles’ 5-3 victory before an announced crowd of 14,083 at Camden Yards.

The Orioles are 55-66 overall and 7-14 in rubber games. They went 5-1 against the Mariners and are 13-5 since the beginning of 2023.

The 5-0 lead in the fifth inning represented the most runs scored since Aug. 6 in Philadelphia. They came on a wild pitch, double steal, single, double and sacrifice fly.

“Steal bases I guess, I don’t know,” first-round pick Ike Irish answered with a laugh. 

“Steal bases, the first thing out of the catcher’s mouth, huh?” I replied with a chuckle. I had asked Irish, the No. 19 pick in the 2025 MLB Draft, if he had any goals for the remainder of his first professional season. 

“Hit the ball hard and steal bases,” he doubled down. “And outside of that, have fun.” 

That element won’t be missing for MLB Pipeline’s second-best Orioles prospect. The catcher/outfielder/first-baseman hybrid is keeping things light after being drafted just a few months ago. 

It’s the message the organization has sent him, too.