Andrés Chaparro’s last stint with the Nationals didn’t include much playing time, to put it mildly. He appeared in only four games during three weeks on the big league roster in June.
This time around, there should be considerably more at-bats for the 26-year-old first baseman/designated hitter, who was recalled from Triple-A Rochester in a roster swap with infielder José Tena.
“He’s going to be playing against left-handed pitchers,” interim manager Miguel Cairo said. “I’m going to try to mix it up. It depends how he does. But we want to see him, and he should have an opportunity to show what he can do.”
Sure enough, Chaparro is in tonight’s lineup against Mets left-hander David Peterson, batting seventh and starting at first base, with Josh Bell back in the DH role after several starts at first base over the weekend.
The Nats saw glimpses of Chaparro’s production late last season, when he totaled 12 doubles and four homers in 33 games. But he went just 1-for-11 in his earlier stint this summer, stuck on the bench behind both Bell and Nathaniel Lowe.
With Lowe now playing for the Red Sox after getting designated for assignment by the Nationals on Thursday, the door cracks open for Chaparro, who hopes to stay hot after producing a 1.216 OPS with eight homers over his last 20 games at Rochester following his demotion.
“When I got over there, I was kind of lost,” he said, via interpreter Mauricio Ortiz. “But I made my adjustments and kept up with my routine and everything. Things are turning out really good.”
Chaparro has consistently hit left-handers in the minors, and the same has been true in limited opportunities in the majors (.894 OPS in 54 plate appearances). He understands the challenge of maintaining those kind of numbers when he’s not in the lineup as much, but he hopes his past experiences here have helped prepare him for the assignment.
“I know I’m probably not going to get a lot of playing time,” he said. “But being ready, being prepared, following my routine, and whenever I get the opportunity, just do what I know how to do.”
* Josiah Gray finally achieved a significant milestone in his rehab from Tommy John surgery today, throwing to live hitters in West Palm Beach.
The right-hander, in his 13th month since surgery to replace the torn ulnar collateral ligament and install an internal brace, had only been throwing bullpen sessions this summer but was finally cleared to face hitters. He threw 25 pitches in live batting practice, so he still has plenty more hurdles to cross before he’s ready to return to the majors. But with time running out to have a shot at making it back before season’s end, today’s session was significant.
“He felt good, threw good. But we’ve got to be one day at a time,” Cairo said. “It was only 25 pitches. It’s a process. We’ve just got to be careful, because he’s coming back from Tommy John. So we’ve got to make sure he’s fine.”
* Travis Sykora is scheduled to have his Tommy John surgery on Wednesday, after which the Nationals’ top pitching prospect will begin the long rehab process in hopes of returning to the mound either in late 2026 or early 2027.
Sykora, 21, was enjoying a dominant start to his season after returning from offseason hip surgery, going 3-1 with a 1.79 ERA, 0.772 WHIP and 79 strikeouts in 45 1/3 innings across four levels of the minor leagues, including his first two starts at Double-A Harrisburg.
But he was shut down in early July after reporting arm soreness that was initially diagnosed as right triceps soreness. When his condition didn’t improve after he attempted to resume throwing, the Nationals performed an MRI, which revealed a torn elbow ligament.