Jeimer Candelario was sitting at his locker following Sunday’s game, phone in hand, watching the highlight of one of his defensive gems from the Nationals’ 4-1 win over the Braves, when reporters approached him.
Perhaps caught by surprise, Candelario quickly turned off the phone, as if he didn’t want anyone to know he was watching his own highlight reel. Not that anyone could blame him for wanting to bask in the glow following a spectacular game at third base.
“We knew that going in. We knew he was going to make plays,” said MacKenzie Gore, the pitcher who most directly benefitted from the stellar glove work. “We’re going to play good defense. We did that in the spring, and that’s what we did today. We had double plays. Candy was making plays all around. It was fun to watch.”
After a sloppy Opening Day and a less-than-crisp Game 2 to the season, the Nationals infield was flawless during Sunday’s win. They turned three double plays, including a critical 4-6-3 started by Luis Garcia to escape a sixth-inning jam. They saw Ildemaro Vargas, filling in for CJ Abrams at shortstop for the day, handle his three chances with no problems.
But most of all, they watched Candelario put on a dazzling show throughout the afternoon at third base.
The Washington Nationals recalled outfielder Stone Garrett from Triple-A Rochester and placed outfielder Corey Dickerson on the 10-day Injured List with a left calf strain on Sunday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement.
Garrett, 27, went 4-for-8 with two RBI, one stolen base and two runs scored in two games with Triple-A Rochester to start the 2023 season. He recorded three hits and two RBI on Opening Day, March 31 vs. Lehigh Valley (PHI).
Garrett hit .276 with eight doubles, four homers, 10 RBI, three walks, three stolen bases and 13 runs scored in 27 games with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2022. He made his Major League debut on Aug. 17 vs. San Francisco and recorded his first Major League hit that night, a double off Carlos Rodón. He recorded hits in four of his first five at bats and hit safely in 10 of his first 12 games. At the time of his promotion, Garrett ranked among all Minor Leaguers in RBI (T2nd, 96), home runs (T4th, 28), extra-base hits (T6th, 54) and total bases (10th, 221).
A power-hitting outfielder, Garrett entered the season with 57 homers, 187 RBI and a .538 slugging percentage in 235 total (MLB/MiLB) games across the last two seasons (2021-22). Entering 2023, he is the only player in the Minor Leagues to have at least 25 homers and 15 stolen bases in each of the last two seasons. Additionally, Garrett is one of two Minor Leaguers to have amassed at least 50 homers and 30 stolen bases since 2021.
Garrett signed a Major League contract with the Nationals on November 29, 2022 and is under team control for six seasons.
Before joining the Nationals, Thaddeus Ward spent parts of four unusual seasons in the Red Sox’s minor league system as their fifth-round draft pick from the University of Central Florida in 2018.
After being drafted, the right-hander appeared in only 11 games at low Single-A in the second half of the 2018 season. In his first full professional season in 2019, he went 8-5 with a 2.14 ERA, 1.156 WHIP and 157 strikeouts over 25 starts between low Single-A and High-A.
Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit and shut down the 2020 minor league season, just as Ward was peaking as the No. 9-ranked prospect on Boston’s farm, per MLB Pipeline.
Tommy John surgery limited Ward to just two starts in 2021, a major setback for any pitcher. And in his return to action last year, he made only 13 starts with a 2.28 ERA, 1.149 WHIP and 66 strikeouts across four minor league levels, topping out at Double-A.
But even after a 2.84 ERA in four Arizona Fall League appearances, Ward had not done enough to convince the Red Sox to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.
Bryce Harper was the first to coin the phrase, way back on Sept. 23, 2012 when the then-rookie outfielder lost a fly ball in the sun during an afternoon game at Nationals Park.
“You can’t catch what you can’t see, you know?” Harper said that day. “Nothing you can do about it. Sun Monster got me.”
And for the last decade, anyone who has closely watched the Nationals has known to beware the Sun Monster every September. He comes out like clockwork, just as the summer humidity dissipates and the afternoon sun moves into a lower position above the upper deck at the ballpark.
In Thursday’s season opener, though, the Sun Monster made an extremely rare, late-March appearance, wreaking as much havoc on players in the field for both the Nats and Braves as perhaps it ever has.
It happened during the Nationals’ very first plate appearance of the season. Lane Thomas’ top-of-the-first popup into shallow center field appeared to make for an easy catch for either shortstop Orlando Arcia or center fielder Michael Harris II. But when Arcia called off his teammate and reached up to make the play, he recoiled in horror when he couldn’t locate the ball, which landed harmlessly on the grass for a cheap single.
After Opening Day across the major leagues Thursday, the minor league season officially gets underway Friday with Triple-A teams starting their 2023 campaigns.
The Nationals’ affiliate at Triple-A Rochester announced its Opening Day roster ahead of this afternoon’s game at newly named Innovative Field.
The Red Wings will start the season with 18 pitchers (14 right-handers and four left-handers), three catchers, 11 infielders and six outfielders. That seems like a lot because 10 of them are starting the season on the injured list.
Right-handers: Cory Abbott, Joan Adon, Anthony Castro, Paolo Espino, Cole Henry, Jake Irvin, Jesus Liranzo, Andrés Machado, Gerson Moreno, Jose Mujica, Wily Peralta, Tommy Romero, Jackson Tetreault and Jordan Weems
Left-handers: Alberto Baldonado, Matt Cronin, Sean Doolittle and Jose A. Ferrer
Imagine waiting 12 years to reach your goal. You grind year in and year out, and still come up short for 12 years.
But when you finally reach it, it’s well worth the wait.
That was Joey Meneses’ grind through 12 years of baseball in the minor leagues and abroad. The 30-year-old finally reached his dream of playing in the major leagues last August when he was brought up from Triple-A Rochester as one of the replacements for Juan Soto and Josh Bell after the two were traded at the deadline.
On Thursday, he reached another long-awaited milestone of his major league career: Opening Day.
“Very, very exciting,” Meneses said, via interpreter Octavio Martinez, after the Nationals’ 7-2 loss in the first game of the season. “It's one of those moments you want to live as a ballplayer, and thank God I was able to live it.”
If there is going to be a semi-regular formula for the Nationals to win ballgames in 2023, it will almost certainly have to include clean defense from a revamped infield, quality pitching from a deep bullpen and timely hitting from a lineup that hits for contact better than for power.
Maybe they can pull out some curly Ws when they achieve two of those three goals. But to expect it when they only get one of them right? That’s a tall ask, as they learned this afternoon.
Despite hanging around with the defending division champions until things fell apart in the ninth, the Nationals were left to accept a 7-2 Opening Day loss to the Braves that was defined by sloppy defense and a lack of clutch hitting.
"I could tell you now, they were a little bit nervous," manager Davey Martinez said of his relatively inexperienced team. "I was a little nervous. It's part of it."
Three errors by shortstop CJ Abrams proved costly, as did a 1-for-11 showing by Nats hitters with runners in scoring position. Those combined to undermine a strong showing by the bullpen, which churned out five scoreless innings after a laboring Patrick Corbin was pulled in the top of the fourth, with only Kyle Finnegan faltering during a three-run top of the ninth that turned a close game lopsided.
The Nationals have set their Opening Day roster with no real surprises. They are bringing a standard four-man bench and eight-man bullpen to today’s season opener against the Braves.
Washington’s starting rotation includes left-handers Patrick Corbin (who gets the Opening Day start) and MacKenzie Gore, and right-handers Josiah Gray, Chad Kuhl and Trevor Williams.
The bullpen is composed of righties Carl Edwards Jr., Kyle Finnegan, Hobie Harris, Hunter Harvey, Erasmo Ramírez, Mason Thompson and Thaddeus Ward, and the lone lefty Anthony Banda.
Keibert Ruiz and Riley Adams are the two catchers. CJ Abrams, Jeimer Candelario, Michael Chavis, Luis García, Joey Meneses, Dominic Smith and Ildemaro Vargas are the infielders. And Alex Call, Corey Dickerson, Victor Robles and Lane Thomas fill the outfield.
A handful of these guys are making a major league Opening Day roster for the first time, including Gore, Ward, Meneses and Call.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – It was 516 days since Carter Kieboom last took the field in a major league game before making his Grapefruit League debut Thursday against the Marlins.
That’s 17 long months of waiting through a lockout, gearing up for a shortened spring training, being shut down for the year without appearing in game due to Tommy John surgery and rehabbing for this upcoming season. All of it building up to yesterday’s anticipated return to action.
“Honestly, just happy to be out there again. It's been a long time,” Kieboom said, exhibiting a sense of relief after appearing as the designated hitter in yesterday’s 5-5 tie. “Ultimately, I just wanted to see, today my goal was to see as many pitches as I could. Just get comfortable in there. My first at-bat, I saw a couple of really good pitches to hit, the first two, I thought. But it's just most important for me to see the pitches … the last couple of years, it's been difficult to stick with my approach. And then I had about nine months to 10 months to prepare about sticking with an approach. And that's all today was about, just going up there with a plan and then sticking with it all game long, regardless of your results.”
For how long he had to wait, the results were a bit anticlimactic. In his first plate appearance since Oct. 3, 2021, he was hit in the foot by the fourth pitch he saw. He made it count, however, by coming around to score on Jeimer Candelario’s two-run double.
In his second time at the plate, Kieboom struck out looking at an inside fastball to end a five-pitch at-bat. But he redeemed himself the next time up by drawing a full-count walk and stealing second base. And then, finally, in his fourth appearance, he struck out with a check swing on the fifth pitch with two outs and two runners in scoring position.
The Washington Nationals announced their 2023 Opening Day roster and corresponding moves on Thursday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcements.
Starters (5) | Relievers (8) | Catchers (2) |
After a busy offseason, the Washington Nationals kick off the 2023 season with a three-game series against the Atlanta Braves, followed by a three-game set vs. the Tampa Bay Rays. The first homestand of the season features several fun promotions and events for fans of all ages, including an Opening Day City Connect t-shirt and the first of four Patriotic Series games with Military Appreciation Day.
Single-game tickets for all Nationals home games are on sale now. The Nationals open their 2023 campaign at Nationals Park on Thursday, March 30, against the Atlanta Braves. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. ET and gates will be open to fans at 11:30 a.m. ET. Tickets are available at nats.com/OpeningDay.
As a reminder, if you would like to cover any events at Nationals Park, please contact Valerie Todryk Krebs at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Gabrielle Scheder-Bieschin at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Devon Bridges at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for credentialing information in advance of the event.
THURSDAY, MARCH 30 vs. ATLANTA BRAVES (1:05 PM ET)
- Opening Day City Connect T-Shirt
o The first 20,000 fans will receive an Opening Day City Connect t-shirt presented by PenFed.
Opening Day is exciting for any baseball player. It’s especially exciting if you’re experiencing it in the major leagues for the first time.
That’s going to be the case for a handful of young Nationals players this afternoon on South Capitol Street.
Just like everything else in the big leagues, the pomp and circumstance around Opening Day is elevated. The decorations around the stadium. The red carpet outside the Nats dugout. And the roar of 40,000 people when your name is called as you run onto the field during pregame player introductions.
“We've been waiting for a while,” MacKenzie Gore said. “This will be my first Opening Day, so I'm looking forward to it.”
Gore, 24, made his major league debut with the Padres last April, but wasn’t included on San Diego’s Opening Day roster. Alex Call, 27, made his debut last July with the Guardians well after Opening Day. Even Joey Meneses, 30, hasn’t experienced a major league Opening Day, finally making his big league debut with the Nationals last August after 12 seasons in the minor leagues and abroad.
In the final spring tuneup before Opening Day on Thursday, two starting pitchers made their first appearances as members of the home team at Nationals Park this afternoon.
Trevor Williams, who signed a two-year, $13 million contract this offseason, and MacKenzie Gore, one of the top prospects acquired from the Padres in the Juan Soto trade last summer, made their Nationals debuts on South Capitol Street during a 3-0 exhibition win over the Yankees in front of 13,012 fans.
The plan for both was to pitch three innings and throw about 50 pitches. But Williams, who had a strong spring, was so efficient, he was able to go out and complete a fourth frame, allowing just one hit, two walks and a hit batter with a strikeout of Aaron Judge and a pickoff at second base on 52 pitches, 30 strikes, over a scoreless outing.
“It was good to complete four. We were shooting for about 50 pitches,” Williams said. “So to get up there, get four ups and have some clean innings was good. It's nice to pitch in a big league atmosphere, a big league stadium. It was a fun first date wearing a white jersey here or white pants here. I took a minute to kind of look around the ballpark from a different angle today and I can't wait to get the regular season started.”
Williams has actually made five appearances (three starts) at Nats Park while being a member of the Pirates and Mets over his seven-year career. But his first appearance with the Nationals, one that still doesn’t officially count, was still about getting ready for when it actually matters.
James Wood and Elijah Green can’t hide in the Nationals clubhouse. With lockers in the back of the oval-shaped room among the veteran position players, the towering prospects already look like they belong on a major league team.
Their pedigrees – Wood as one of the players the Nats received for Juan Soto who shot up prospect rankings over the offseason and Green as the No. 5 overall pick in last summer’s draft – say they’ll be on the major league roster soon. But their limited professional experience – Wood hasn’t reached High-A and Green hasn’t made his Singe-A debut – say they’re still a ways away.
Nevertheless, the Nationals obviously hold them in high regard. They headlined a group of six prospects the team brought with them from Florida to D.C. for Tuesday’s exhibition game against the Yankees. As the Nats broke camp, two of their top prospects got to experience life in the big leagues if only for one day.
“Having Elijah and Wood here is kind of nice to get to see the facility and stuff,” manager Davey Martinez said.
With the major league season kicking off tomorrow, Wood and Green will rejoin their minor league teammates for another week of camp before their minor league seasons start. Green knows he’ll start the season at Single-A Fredericksburg, but Wood has yet to be told where he’ll report, presumably High-A Wilmington after hitting .293 in 21 games with the FredNats to end last year.
Washington Nationals Philanthropies, the official charitable arm of the Washington Nationals Baseball Club, hosted its annual signature fundraising event Tuesday night, honoring former Nationals player Ryan Zimmerman with its Power of Baseball Award. The Nationals Homecoming Gala, held at The Anthem at The Wharf, raised nearly $1 million to further Nationals Philanthropies’ community impact work and was attended by members of the Lerner family, the Washington Nationals baseball club and front office, and representatives from several prominent local organizations and philanthropists. Auction items can continue to be bid upon until 8 p.m. ET tomorrow, March 30, at nats.com/Homecoming.
The Power of Baseball Award, presented by The Annette M. and Theodore N. Lerner Family Foundation, is Washington Nationals Philanthropies’ most illustrious award, and recognizes an individual, corporation, organization or local group that embodies the positive character and level of achievement exemplified throughout the game of baseball.
The first-ever player drafted by the Nationals, Zimmerman played 17 seasons with the organization – including a historic World Series championship run – before retiring in 2022. Aptly nicknamed “Mr. National,” Zimmerman has proven himself a leader on the field and in the community. He is the first current or former player to receive the foundation’s Power of Baseball Award.
“Throughout his career, Ryan Zimmerman was a leader, an inspiration, and a tireless advocate for our community,” said Tal Alter, CEO of Nationals Philanthropies. “Off the field, Ryan’s dedication to numerous charitable initiatives including his own ziMS Foundation show that he is a driving force for good. It is with great pleasure that we recognize his contributions to the region and the game of baseball with the 2023 Power of Baseball Award.”
Zimmerman is the largest individual donor to Nationals Philanthropies over the past decade and has been a consistent supporter of Scholar Athletes at the Nationals Youth Baseball Academy, having visited the program numerous times over the years. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Zimmerman and his wife Heather spearheaded a relief campaign to provide health care professionals with support, resources and meals. During his playing career, Zimmerman was the club’s Roberto Clemente Award nominee six times and received the “Good Guy” Award by D.C. media twice since it was first established in 2016.
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the United States Oksana Markarova will throw out the ceremonial first pitch prior to the Washington Nationals Opening Day game on Thursday, March 30, at 1:05 p.m ET.
“We are honored to have Ambassador Markarova join us as we celebrate the start of the baseball season,” said Washington Nationals managing principal owner Mark D. Lerner. “We deeply admire Ambassador Markarova’s leadership and courage, and the strength of all Ukrainian people, during this most difficult time, and we are proud to lend our support as we stand with Ukraine.”
Ambassador Oksana Markarova will be joined on the field by her daughter Anna, as well as Oleksandr Rozhkov, Military Attaché at the Embassy of Ukraine to the United States.
“I am honored to start this Opening Day, and I am sincerely grateful to all Americans for standing with Ukraine as we fight for our homes, dignity, freedom, and independence. This war has already claimed the lives of hundreds of Ukrainian athletes and coaches, including one baseball player who fought within the ranks of Ukrainian armed forces. Since the very first days of Russia’s large-scale military aggression, thousands of Ukrainian athletes volunteered to defend their country, 56 baseball players among them. We share the passion for freedom and baseball with the USA, and we will win together,” said the Ambassador.
Oksana Markarova was appointed the Ukraine’s Ambassador to the United States and arrived in Washington, D.C. on Apr 20, 2021. She served in Ukraine’s Ministry of Finance in 2015-20 as First deputy Minister and Government commissioner on investments and then since 2018 as a Minister of Finance. Ambassador Markarova serves on the Boards of UkraineHouse DC foundation in Washington D.C.; Kyiv-Mohyla Academy; Ukrainian Development Foundation and supports Ukrainian Catholic University and Ukrainian Press Museum-Archive. She holds BS and MS degrees in Environmental Science from Kyiv-Mohyla Academy in Ukraine and MPA in public finance from Indiana University with academic excellency and best international student awards. Markarova is married with four children and a grandson.
With just one more exhibition game against the Yankees this afternoon, eyes are starting to look ahead to the start of the regular season against the Braves on Thursday.
We’ve figured for some time how the Nationals rotation would be lined up to start the season: Patrick Corbin was officially announced as the Opening Day starter on Friday, with Josiah Gray, MacKenzie Gore, Trevor Williams and Chad Kuhl (replacing the injured Cade Cavalli) seemingly following suit.
Manager Davey Martinez, keeping his cards close to his chest, confirmed Corbin will get the ball for Opening Day on Thursday and Gray will start the second game of the season Saturday.
“I know who's going to start on Thursday,” Martinez said with a grin during his first pregame meeting with the media back in the press conference room at Nationals Park. “I can tell you Gray will start the second game.”
Williams and Gore are both scheduled to pitch three innings today, with the right-hander getting the start based solely on his veteran status. That means they will both be in line to pitch Sunday for the series finale against the Braves.
Spring training is over. After six weeks of early morning workouts, Grapefruit League games and bus rides all over Florida, the Nationals have returned home for their last tuneup before Thursday’s Opening Day game against the Braves.
Because of the three off-days this week, the Nats’ pitching schedule has been altered a bit. That is why you’ll see two starters – Trevor Williams and MacKenzie Gore – take the mound for about three innings each this afternoon. Although Williams will start the game (based solely on his veteran status, per manager Davey Martinez), Gore is expected to start the Nationals’ third game of the season on Sunday. Williams will then start Monday’s series opener against the Rays.
Even though this game still doesn’t count, it will be nice to see Gore pitching at Nationals Park for the first time. Gore, Williams and whoever follows out of the bullpen will face a dangerous lineup from the Yankees, who are stopping in town before heading up to New York for their season opener against the Giants.
Opening Day rosters don’t have to be announced until Thursday morning, so this will be the last chance for guys on minor league deals and who are battling for spots to make their cases. Although it appears Michael Chavis has earned the last bench spot and the bullpen has taken its shape, nothing has been made official yet.
This will also be the last exhibition tuneup for the MASN broadcast team, as you can watch today’s game coverage starting at noon.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Chad Kuhl handed the ball to Davey Martinez with one out in the sixth tonight at The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches. The right-hander had just surrendered a leadoff homer and then recorded a flyball out to end his outing at 92 pitches, a solid-if-unspectacular outing against a good Cardinals lineup in the final week of spring training.
Kuhl walked back to the Nationals dugout and began thinking about his next start. The question now: Where and when will that start be?
“We’ve got to figure out what we’re going to do here, but he’s done a great job,” Martinez said. “We’re getting close to the season, and we’ve got to make some decisions. But so far, I like what I’ve seen out of him.”
Thrust into the Nats’ rotation plans after Cade Cavalli tore his elbow ligament last week and required Tommy John surgery, Kuhl seems to have done enough to have locked up the No. 5 starter’s job as the season begins.
The Nationals, though, aren’t ready to make any pronouncements about that. There’s still another 11 or 12 days to go until they’ll need a fifth starter, so that leaves them with some flexibility as they wind up camp.
Today was another step toward Opening Day with the annual What’s New at Nationals Park media tour. Members of the local media gathered on yet another rainy day on South Capitol Street to see all the new features around the stadium and taste the new food and beverages available for the coming 2023 season.
Before we got to the fun stuff around the facility, the tour was kicked off with the news that the Nationals will induct founding managing principal owner Theodore N. Lerner into their Ring of Honor in a special Opening Day pregame ceremony.
Lerner, who passed away last month at the age of 97, was named managing principal owner when his family purchased the Nationals from Major League Baseball in 2006 and led the franchise to four National League East division titles and the 2019 World Series championship. He will be the 24th individual inducted into the Ring of Honor at Nationals Park and his name will be displayed on the stadium facade behind home plate, below the owner’s suite.
Created in 2010, the Ring of Honor pays tribute to some of the most elite and influential members of the Washington Nationals, Washington Senators, Homestead Grays and Montreal Expos organizations.
To also honor Lerner throughout the season, the Nationals will wear a dedicated patch on the left sleeve of all jerseys in his memory. The oval patch bears his initials below three stars, which represent D.C., Maryland and Virginia.