Chaparro recalled from Rochester, Loutos claimed from Dodgers

NEW YORK – Before starting a three-game series against the Mets tonight, the Nationals answered a question that had been lingering since Sunday night: Who would fill the open roster spot?

After Sunday’s loss to the Rangers, the Nats optioned Nasim Nuñez to Triple-A Rochester, requiring a corresponding move when they arrived at Citi Field. The answer: Andrés Chaparro was officially recalled from Rochester in hopes he'll provide the Nats a much-needed right-handed boost.

“Very happy to be back in a major league clubhouse,” Chaparro said, via interpreter Mauricio Ortiz. “And it's also a lot of emotions because of what I went through last year with my baby. But again, happy to be back.”

What the 26-year-old and his family went through last year with his baby was an unbelievable tragedy. After his daughter, Gio Andrea, was born prematurely at the end of the season, she sadly passed away in late October.

That surely put his baseball life in the back seat. But Chaparro entered spring training with a good chance to make his first Opening Day roster, only to have that chance ripped away from him after a good camp when he injured an oblique muscle.

After struggling to swing a bat for two months, he was finally able to begin a rehab assignment with Rochester on May 22 before being activated off the injured list and optioned to Triple-A as a procedural move a week later.

“It's the first time that I've probably experienced an injury that long,” Chaparro said. “But I took it with a lot of responsibility and discipline to get back here, and I'm feeling good.”

The hardest part for him was rediscovering the form he displayed during an impressive first stint in the major leagues after the Nats acquired him in a last-minute trade-deadline deal with the Diamondbacks for Dylan Floro. Sixteen of his 26 hits over 33 games went for extra bases .

“Probably the hardest part of going through that injury is trying to be yourself again, who you were as a player,” he said. “But again, I started taking swings and I started feeling good, and right now, I feel like I'm the player that I was.”

Now Chaparro will try to provide a productive right-handed bat to a Nationals team that desperately needs it. He hit .304 (17-for-56) with three doubles, five home runs, 19 RBIs, eight walks and eight runs scored in 15 games for the Red Wings this season. He also slashed an unreal .563/.611/1.500 with a 2.111 OPS in 16 at-bats against left-handers.

That follows his .300/.378/.600 slash line and .978 OPS against lefties in the majors in 2024.

“Andrés has been swinging the bat really well,” manager Davey Martinez said. “We've struggled against some left-handed pitching. He gives another right-handed bat.”

Chaparro will likely spell either the switch-hitting Josh Bell at the designated hitter spot or the left-handed Nathaniel Lowe at first base against left-handed pitching, depending on the matchups.

“We'll do a little bit of both,” Martinez said. “I know Nate's been playing a lot of first base over there as well. There might be a chance where we give Nate a day off now. But yeah, he'll definitely get some at-bats against left-handed pitching.

“We'll see how the matchups go. If it's a tough lefty, I might just give Nate a day. He's been playing every day.”

Meanwhile, Nuñez will get a chance to play the infield every day for Rochester after hitting .186 with two doubles, five RBIs, five walks, seven stolen bases and six runs scored in 23 games for Washington this season.

But wherever Chaparro plays, he is just soaking in the emotions of being back in the major leagues after everything he’s been through since his debut in August.

“Like I said before, I'm really happy to be back,” he said. “At some point, I thought I wasn't going to be back here again. So that was really difficult to deal with. But thank God, he gave me the opportunity. And right now, I'm feeling healthy and I'm back again in the major leagues.”

* The Nationals made another roster move today, claiming right-handed reliever Ryan Loutos off waivers from the Dodgers and optioning him to Triple-A.

Loutos has given up five earned runs on six hits, three walks and one hit-batter with two strikeouts in 5 ⅓ innings over five big league appearances between the Cardinals and Dodgers the last two seasons. That adds up to an 8.44 ERA and 1.688 WHIP.

But he has a 2.41 ERA and 0.964 WHIP in 18 ⅔ innings over 15 Triple-A appearances between the two organizations this year. He also has 10.0 strikeouts per nine innings over five minor league seasons.

“He was last with the Dodgers, but he's got a good, live fastball. A good slider. He mixes in the changeup,” Martinez said. “I know he's had some issues throwing strikes, but we think that way we can get him over here and with a change of scenery, we could help him get in the strike zone. If we can do that, his stuff does work.

“As we always say, you can't have enough pitching. We need as much pitching as we can have.”