Nuñez joins Alvarez as Nats' first September call-ups

When it came time to select a pitcher to promote as their September call-up, the Nationals knew they needed Andrew Alvarez, who will make his major league debut this afternoon as MacKenzie Gore’s replacement in the rotation.

When it came time to select a position player to fill the other slot on their expanded September roster, the Nats chose to go with someone who has been here several times before, in the hopes he can provide a much-needed spark to a team mired in an eight-game losing streak: Nasim Nuñez.

Nuñez was officially recalled from Triple-A Rochester this morning, the 25-year-old making his second big league stint of the season after spending all of the 2024 season here as a Rule 5 Draft pick.

The high-energy infielder may have a tough time cracking the lineup on a regular basis, but interim manager Miguel Cairo did say he’s “going to play some,” with shortstop CJ Abrams and second baseman Luis García Jr. getting occasional days off down the stretch.

“He’s exciting,” Cairo said. “A lot of energy. He was doing good at Triple-A. He was doing everything. He was hitting line drives, he was bunting. That’s the kind of player (we want). Energy. Good defense. He can change the game on the bases. I’m glad he’s here.”

The Nationals have never questioned Nuñez's defensive or baserunning talents. The only question has been his ability to hit enough to stick in the big leagues. He showed real improvement in that regard late last season, batting .292 with a .424 on-base percentage over his final 29 games. He was less successful in the 23 big league games he played earlier this season while Paul DeJong was on the injured list, batting just .186 with a .271 on-base percentage.

Nuñez, though, got hot over the last month in Rochester. In 20 games played during August, he hit .354 with a .421 on-base percentage, helping make his case for this promotion.

“Just working and playing,” he said of his hot streak. “Going out there every day, learning myself, adjusting to the game, learning the game, going to the game hoping that the game’s going to love me that day. Stuff like that. But just really playing.”

After spending his entire rookie season in the majors, Nuñez has had to grapple with the idea of spending the majority of this season in the minors. He thinks he’s grown stronger from that challenge.

“Life is going to life,” he said. “I’ve just got to roll with the punches and be grateful that I’m even able to take the punches and continue to try to better myself and my game and those around me.”

Major League Baseball teams are allowed to expand rosters from 26 to 28 in September, restricted to one extra pitcher and one extra position player. They can continue to send players up and down throughout the rest of the season, though, so there could be more movement as the month progresses.