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MILWAUKEE – The Nationals made a small roster move ahead of their first-half finale against the Brewers. They recalled right-hander Andry Lara from Double-A Harrisburg to take the open roster spot left by Shinnosuke Ogasawara, who was optioned to Triple-A Rochester last night.
“Very happy. Very happy to be back here,” Lara said of coming back to a major league clubhouse, via interpreter Mauricio Ortiz.
Lara’s return comes 11 days after he made his major league debut on July 2 as the 27th man in the first game of a split doubleheader against the Tigers, in which he tossed three scoreless innings and struck out four to preserve the Nats' bullpen for the nightcap. His outing came in an 11-2 loss, but he was the lone bright spot for the team in a moment he’ll never forget.
“I remember everything. Everything,” Lara said. “It was really special to me. Of course, it was my major league debut. That's something I've always dreamed of, and I'm really happy.”
The debut was a long wait for the 22-year-old, who signed with the Nationals out of Venezuela for $1.25 million as one of their top international prospects six years ago. After some ups and downs in the minor leagues, Lara, currently the Nats’ No. 16 prospect per MLB Pipeline, gets another chance at the major league level.
“Put my maximum effort here,” he said of what he hopes to do while with the Nats. “Whatever they need me to do or whatever I need to help with, I'm here to do it.”
Lara might not be here for long. The Nationals had an open spot on the roster and chose not to waste it by filling it with a minor league reliever, who may only see action if a similar situation as his debut presents itself. Then the roster could change again ahead of Friday’s second-half opener against the Padres.
But while Lara is here at least for today, the message from interim manager Miguel Cairo was clear: “He just told me to be ready to go outside and be ready to win.”
* After playing 174 consecutive games to begin his major league career, James Wood finally gets his first day off ahead of the All-Star break.
For the first time since June 30, 2024 in Tampa Bay, Wood is not in the Nationals’ starting lineup, with Alex Call taking over in left field and Josh Bell remaining as the designated hitter for today’s finale. This comes after Wood suffered a rare four-strikeout game yesterday, his first of the season and just the third of his career.
Wood has been struggling leading up to the break. He only has three hits (one home run) and 14 strikeouts over his last eight games.
Over his first 174 games, though, the 22-year-old superstar is slashing .272/.369/.485 with an .854 OPS, 32 doubles, four triples, 33 home runs, 110 RBIs, 26 stolen bases and 98 walks.
Wood will participate in the Home Run Derby on Monday night in Atlanta before likely playing in his first All-Star Game on Tuesday night.
The Nationals are flying Wood and MacKenzie Gore on a private jet to the All-Star Game following today's first-half finale, per a person familiar with their travel plans.
