BALTIMORE – Luis García Jr. is back on the Nationals’ active roster, but not back in the lineup quite yet.

García was activated off the paternity list this afternoon, having spent the last three days away for the birth of his first child. Under the circumstances – and with left-hander Cade Povich starting for the Orioles – Davey Martinez wanted to give his starting second baseman a day to simply work out before returning to action.

“He’ll hit in the cage. He’ll be available to (pinch) hit if we need him,” the manager said. “But I want to him to go out and catch ground balls, get back in the swing of things.”

It’s been a disappointing season to date for García, particularly on the heels of his breakthrough 2024 campaign. He enters tonight batting .226 with a .618 OPS, down from .282 and .762 a year ago. García has also taken a step back in the field, his minus-8 Defensive Runs Saved ranking last among all major league second basemen.

“It’s just the inconsistency of his hitting,” Martinez said. “And to his defense, he’s hit the ball hard, just had nothing to show for it. … We’ve got to get him going, he’s a big part of our lineup. When he’s going well, he can do some damage with the bat.”

García indeed has been the victim of some bad luck. His expected batting average is .280, and he has “squared up” 33 percent of his batted balls, which ranks in the top-10 percentile in the majors. His batting average on balls in play, which was a standard .310 last season, is a paltry .235 so far this season.

With García on leave the last three days, the Nationals had both Amed Rosario and José Tena in their lineup, one at second base and the other at third. Tonight, Tena is starting at third but Nasim Nuñez gets a rare start at second base.

Rosario, as it turns out, is dealing with a minor injury: He suffered a bad cut near his left knee Thursday night at the team hotel that required stitches. It doesn’t appear to be anything serious, but the team will be cautious for now.

“We just don’t know yet,” Martinez said. “We’ll let him go out there and see what he can do. He definitely said he thinks he can hit, so he’ll be available to pinch-hit today. It’s the sliding, or having to dive for a ball, that I’m worried about a little bit.”

Needing to clear a roster spot for García's return, the Nats optioned Trey Lipscomb to Triple-A Rochester. The infielder did not make a game appearance during his second brief stint in the majors this year.

* Mitchell Parker was set to throw his between-starts bullpen session today, and provided there are no setbacks, the left-hander will be good to make his next scheduled start.

Parker took a 107.2 mph line drive off his left knee during the fifth inning of Wednesday’s game in Atlanta and departed in some pain. As things stand, he’s on track to start Tuesday’s series opener against the Braves at Nationals Park.

“So far, so good,” Martinez said.

* Orlando Ribalta is planning to throw a simulated game Saturday, a significant step in the reliever’s eventual return from a right biceps strain.

Ribalta, who has been out since April 10, could go on a minor league rehab assignment once he proves he’s fine facing live hitters again.