PLAYER REVIEW: SHINNOSUKE OGASAWARA
Age on Opening Day 2026: 28
How acquired: Signed as international free agent, January 2025
MLB service time: 66 days
2025 salary: $1.5 million
Contract status: Signed for $2 million in 2026.
2025 stats: 1-1, 6.98 ERA, 23 G, 2 GS, 38 2/3 IP, 43 H, 30 R, 30 ER, 9 HR, 17 BB, 30 SO, 3 HBP, 1.552 WHIP, 59 ERA+, 6.16 FIP, -0.5 bWAR, -0.5 fWAR
Quotable: “This is a new experience for me. So I’m just trying to work on it and enjoy it as much as I can.” – Shinnosuke Ogasawara, via interpreter Kiyoshi Tada
2025 analysis: It took two decades before the Nationals signed their first free agent out of Japan, and given their lack of history there, it was understandable their first signee would be a lesser-known pitcher who came at an affordable price. The downside: Ogasawara came to America facing an uphill climb to prove he belonged at this level.
The left-hander’s spring training performances made it clear he wasn’t ready for the major leagues, so he was sent to Triple-A Rochester to open the season. Three starts in, he suffered an oblique strain that wound up sidelining him for two months. He made three rehab starts in West Palm Beach and Single-A Wilmington, then surprisingly was called up to D.C. to make his MLB debut.
That July 6 game against the Red Sox proved disastrous in multiple ways. Ogasawara dug his team into a 4-0 hole after five batters and lasted only 2 2/3 innings. Then Davey Martinez and Mike Rizzo were fired that evening, decisions that were made prior to the game but made for an even more awkward situation for that afternoon’s starting pitcher.
Ogasawara struggled during another start the next week before getting optioned back to Rochester. He then returned following the trade deadline when the Nationals needed pitching help but was placed in the bullpen for the first time in his professional career. Pitching mostly in mop-up situations, he did gradually work his way into a few higher-leverage spots against tough left-handed hitters and actually performed well against the likes of Juan Soto, Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber. But for the most part down the stretch of a lost season, he pitched with his team trailing, with little opportunity to impact the outcome of games.
2026 outlook: The Nationals gave Ogasawara a two-year contract, so he’s coming back next season (unless they’re willing to eat his $2 million salary). But he’ll have to prove a lot if he’s going to have any chance of making the Opening Day staff or making it back to the big leagues at any point.
The concern all along was that he didn’t have the stuff to be successful at this level, and the results unfortunately backed up those concerns. His fastball, which averaged only 91.1 mph, was crushed by major league hitters to the tune of a .351 batting average and .579 slugging percentage. His changeup, a supposed weapon, was hit hard as well (.317 batting average, .463 slugging percentage). And his slider was responsible for four of the nine homers he surrendered. Only his curveball was truly a successful pitch, with hitters going 2-for-20 with one homer off it.
Nobody is going to be effective with one quality pitch, so Ogasawara has his work cut out for him. He’s going to have to establish that he can at least locate his fastball and keep hitters honest, then try to perfect his changeup so he has enough of an arsenal to mix and match and try to keep guys off-balance. It’s a tall task, and one he’ll almost certainly need to embark on at the minor league level before getting an opportunity to pitch in the majors again.