The Washington Nationals announced the following roster moves on Tuesday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement.

• Recalled catcher Riley Adams from Triple-A Rochester
• Returned from rehabilitation assignment and reinstated right-handed pitcher Erick Fedde from the 15-day Injured List
• Designated right-handed pitcher Tyler Clippard for assignment
• Optioned catcher Tres Barrera to Triple-A Rochester (Monday, August 22)

Adams, 26, returns for his second stint in the Major Leagues this season after making the club out of Spring Training. He hit .192 with a double, three home runs, five RBI, and nine walks in 27 games with Washington. After he was optioned to Triple-A Rochester on July 1, Adams hit .224 with eight doubles, four home runs, 17 RBI and 11 walks in 29 games.

Fedde, 29, returns from the Injured List after missing 22 games with right shoulder inflammation. Before heading to the IL on July 30, he was 5-7 with a 4.95 ERA in 19 starts. He allowed 96 hits and struck out 70 in 92.2 innings. In his only rehab appearance for Triple-A Rochester, Fedde worked 4.0 scoreless innings with four strikeouts on August 17 at Worcester.

Clippard, 37, was 0-0 with a 7.20 ERA in four games for Washington this season.

Barrera, 27, hit .182 with a double, four RBI and two walks in 14 games for the Nationals in 2022.

The Washington Nationals celebrate real-life Wonder Women in the D.C. area during Ladies Night and DC Comics™ Day on Friday, Aug. 26. The first 10,000 fans in attendance will receive a DC Comics™ Wonder Woman bobblehead doll, and fans who purchase the special Ladies Night event ticket will receive early access to the ballpark, including an exclusive t-shirt, food and beverage tastings, appearances by local vendors, Team Store shopping with a 15% discount and a Q&A panel with women from local sports teams. 

The ballpark opens at 4:00 PM for guests with special Ladies Night tickets, guaranteeing this group of ticket holders access to the limited edition Wonder Woman bobblehead as well as a Washington Nationals x Wonder Woman t-shirt. Before gates open to the general public, Ladies Night participants can enjoy food and beverages; sampling from NUTRL and woman-owned local business Pratt Standard Cocktail Co.; five-minute manicures from Varnish Lane; yard games and prizes courtesy of BetMGM; and more. Guests can also strike the perfect pose in two different 180-degree cameras on the concourse, and the Center Field Team Store will open early, offering Ladies Night guests an exclusive shopping window with a 15% discount. The Breakaways will perform at Budweiser Terrace from 4:00-5:00 PM before playing their regular Friday night set when gates open to the public at 5:30 PM. Visit nationals.com/LadiesNight for more information and to purchase special event tickets.

At 5:00 PM on the Budweiser Terrace, the Nationals welcome a panel of women working in D.C. sports for a special Q&A session. Among the attendees are Dana Campbell, Vice President, Marketing, for the Washington Mystics; Washington Capitals Video Coordinator Emily Engle-Natzke, the first full-time female coach in franchise history; and D.C. United General Manager and Head of Technical Recruitment and Analysis Lucy Rushton, the second woman GM in MLS history. Staff from the Washington Spirit will also be on hand to prep fans for the squad’s remaining regular-season games. 

Nats on Base, the club’s year-round initiative providing experiences that contribute to the quality of life for service members and their families in the Washington D.C. area, is hosting a separate all-female panel of Nationals front office executives, who will share their expertise and discuss challenges faced by professional women. This session, which does not require a special Ladies Night ticket and is tailored toward military spouses and transitioning service members, begins once gates open to the public at 5:30 PM. Visit nationals.com/NatsOnBaseWomen for more information and to register for the free event, which includes tickets to the evening’s game. Additional details will be sent by email to those who have registered before Friday.

Ladies Night and DC Comics™ Day programming extends into the pregame ceremonies, as the Nationals will honor real-life Wonder Women in the local community as part of the club’s Unsung Heroes program with a special on-field recognition. Additional super hero activations will be featured throughout the ballpark during the game.

Way back in early June, when the Nationals were languishing with the worst rotation in baseball, we wondered if the day might be coming soon when they would have a whole new set of starters pitching for them, guys who not only would be more effective than the current group but also would be younger and part of the organization’s long-term plan.

Here we are entering the final week of August, and unfortunately that hasn’t been the case at all. The Nats’ last five games have been started by Cory Abbott, Anibal Sanchez, Paolo Espino, Josiah Gray and Patrick Corbin.

Yes, they’ve been far more effective than they were nearly three months ago. But outside of Gray, nobody else from this quintet realistically is going to be part of the long-term plan around here. Even Erick Fedde, set to return from a shoulder injury Tuesday in Seattle, remains a shorter-term solution, something of a bridge starter until younger, more promising prospects arrive.

But when will they actually arrive? Will we actually see anybody new and intriguing before season’s end?

By all accounts, yes. It’s going to require a little more patience, though.

The Washington Nationals recalled outfielder Josh Palacios from Triple-A Rochester and placed outfielder Yadiel Hernandez on the 10-day Injured List (retroactive to Aug. 19) with a left calf strain on Saturday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement.

Palacios, 27, returns for his second stint with the Nationals after leading Washington’s Minor League system in batting average (.298) and on-base percentage (.382) this season. He hit .298/.382/.433 with 12 doubles, two triples, seven home runs, 44 RBI, 33 walks, 19 stolen bases and 43 runs scored in 76 games with Triple-A Rochester prior to this promotion to Washington.

Palacios appeared in eight games for the Nationals after being recalled on Aug. 2. He collected three hits while appearing in right field (5 G/4 GS) and left field (1 G).

Hernandez, 34, hit .269 with 16 doubles, nine homers, 41 RBI, 19 walks, two stolen bases and 30 runs scored in 94 games this season.

SAN DIEGO – He had talked about his home run off Yu Darvish, not to mention his subsequent single off the Padres right-hander. He had talked about his defensive work at third base and mentorship of rookie shortstop CJ Abrams. And he had talked about the opportunity he’s been given by the Nationals to play third base every day after spending the season’s first four months at Triple-A.

But when he was done with all that, once he had answered every question reporters had for him following Thursday night’s 3-1 victory at Petco Park, Ildemaro Vargas let everyone know there was one more thing he wanted to say.

“I want to dedicate this home run to my mom,” the infielder said, via interpreter Octavio Martinez. “Unfortunately, because of the visas, she’s unable to see me play. But when I talked to her today, she motivated me and said that I was going to have a great game today. So I want to thank her and tell her that this was for her.”

This revelation, of course, only prompted more questions, more answers and the sharing of a sweet (but in some ways bittersweet) story of a 31-year-old trying to stick in the big leagues while his biggest supporter can only watch from afar.

Gaudys Barreto lives in Venezuela. Her son has spent parts of six seasons in the majors with five different franchises, the Nationals representing only the latest to give him a shot. And because it has been difficult to secure her a visa, Barreto has been unable to come to the United States to watch Vargas play this year.

SAN DIEGO – Erick Fedde could return from the injured list and rejoin the Nationals’ rotation as soon as Tuesday after an encouraging rehab start Wednesday for Triple-A Rochester.

Fedde, who has been on the 15-day IL since July 27 with right shoulder inflammation, tossed four scoreless innings in Worcester, Mass., scattering three hits and a walk while striking out four. His pitch count was only 63, and he would’ve stayed in the game if not for a rain delay that disrupted the proceedings.

“Can’t escape it,” he said of the rain. “But it went really well. Was able to get through the start with no issues. And if anything, I felt like I was getting stronger throughout the outing. So I’m happy with it.”

Fedde was able to throw another inning’s worth of pitches in the bullpen after his start officially ended, building up his workload. And that appears to be enough to warrant his activation in the coming days.

Manager Davey Martinez said barring any setbacks the Nationals will consider activating Fedde in time for him to start Tuesday night against the Mariners in Seattle.

It’s a question that is being asked a lot nowadays. It might be the most popular question surrounding the Nationals now that the trade deadline has passed, CJ Abrams has made his debut, MacKenzie Gore’s rehab plan has come more into focus and we’re in the home stretch of the season.

When will top pitching prospect Cade Cavalli make his major league debut?

The Nationals have been very open about taking a cautious approach with their former first-round pick, not wanting to rush a young pitcher who was a two-way player in college and is only in his second full professional season.

“You also have to remember, he did have a great college career, but he didn’t pitch much,” general manager Mike Rizzo said of Cavalli on Wednesday during his weekly appearance with “The Sports Junkies” on 106.7 The Fan. “He was a two-way player. He’s really new to pitching. And he’s really learned fast and on the run. When you talk about a guy who had a limited amount of innings in high school and college that he has, he made a meteoric rise through the minor league rankings. And I think he’s just scratching the surface. He’s going to be a good big league pitcher for us. I’m excited to see him when he gets here. And when the reports are that he’s ready to come to the big leagues, we certainly will not hesitate to bring him here.”

So maybe the question should be: When the reports say Cavalli’s ready, what will that look like?

The Nationals were able to chip away at a 4-1 Cubs lead on Tuesday night. Home runs by Luke Voit and Lane Thomas in the eight inning sent the game to extras. CJ Abrams’ first hit and RBI as a National extended the game to the 11th.

Even in an eventual loss, the boys battled multiple times.

Try as they might, there was no late-inning rally Wednesday, as the Nationals dropped the series finale 3-2 to the Cubs in front of 28,302 fans on a beautiful 78-degree day in the District.

A late rally was made necessary by some back and forth between the two teams in the middle innings. With the Cubs up 2-1 in the bottom of the sixth, the Nats tied the game with some small ball action.

Joey Meneses led off the frame with a double into the left-field corner, extending his hitting streak to 11 games and knocking Cubs starter Drew Smyly from the game. 

Davey Martinez had some encouraging updates on a couple of recovering pitchers before Wednesday’s getaway game against the Cubs.

Erick Fedde is lined up to make his first rehab start with Triple-A Rochester this afternoon as the Red Wings face the Worcester Red Sox.

Fedde has been on the 15-day injured list since July 30 (retroactive to July 27) with right shoulder inflammation, his last start coming on July 24 in Arizona. He threw two bullpen sessions leading up to a sim game on Friday in which he threw 47 pitches at Nationals Park.

“We would love him to go five or six innings and about 80 pitches,” Martinez said of Fedde’s rehab start during his pregame session with reporters.

The right-hander is 4-7 with a 4.95 ERA in 19 starts for the Nationals this season. With a rotation that is struggling to produce quality starts outside of Josiah Gray’s day to take the ball, the Nationals are hoping Fedde only needs one rehab outing before rejoining the major league squad. But that depends on how he does today in Worcester.

The Nationals are going for their first series win since they won two-of-three against the Dodgers in Los Angeles three weeks ago.

Cory Abbott will face his former team for the first time as he makes his fourth start for the Nats. He pitched in seven games (one start) for the Cubs last year before being designated for assignment in April. He was eventually traded to the Giants and then claimed off waivers by the Nats in May.

Drew Smyly brings a 5-6 record and 3.69 ERA to the mound for the Cubs. The veteran left-hander didn’t face the Nats last week at Wrigley Field, but he is 1-0 with a 3.38 ERA in seven appearances (five starts) against Washington in his career.

CHICAGO CUBS at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 1:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB Network (outside of D.C. and Chicago markets only), MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 The Fan, MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 80 degrees, wind 4 mph in from left-center field 

NATIONALS
CF Lane Thomas
RF Joey Meneses
1B Luke Voit
DH Nelson Cruz
C Keibert Ruiz
2B César Hernández
SS CJ Abrams
LF Alex Call
3B Ildemaro Vargas 

Aníbal Sánchez was sitting at home on his couch when he realized he was missing something. The adrenaline rush of pitching in a major league game, something he experienced for 14 straight years, was calling. 

The Monday after Thanksgiving, one of Sánchez’s friends wanted to work on his mechanics. As the two began throwing, Sánchez realized that his arm felt really good. Good enough to pitch in the big leagues. And to feel that adrenaline rush again. Despite nearing 40 years old and out of the big leagues for a full season, maybe it was time for that arm to make a comeback. 

“OK, yeah, I just got to take a shot,” Sánchez told himself. 

Taking and hitting that shot required not just spending less time with his family, but also getting his arm back into shape after a year of traveling with family and staying long enough for a cup of coffee with the Venezuelan national team. Sánchez had sat out the entire 2021 season due to COVID-19 concerns and not receiving a contract that pleased him. But here was his chance. His arm felt good, he wanted his 4-year-old son, Aníbal Jr., to have a chance to experience a big league clubhouse, and perhaps most importantly, he missed the game. 

Things “took off” after that late-November workout, Sánchez said. He prepared to pitch in the majors again, signed a minor league deal with the Nationals and showed enough to make their opening day roster. Then, faced with another hurdle — a neck injury suffered right before his first start that sent him to the 60-day injured list — Sánchez refused to call it quits for good, and when he eventually made his first major league start in 22 months against the Braves on July 14, Nationals manager Davey Martinez had Aníbal Jr. deliver the news. The elder Sánchez has made five starts since.

The Washington Nationals recalled shortstop C.J. Abrams from Triple-A Rochester and placed infielder Luis García on the 10-day Injured List (retroactive to Aug. 13) with a left groin strain on Monday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement.

Abrams, 21, is Washington’s No. 1 prospect and the No. 11 overall prospect in baseball according to Baseball America. Acquired on Aug. 2 from San Diego, Abrams hit .290 (9-for-31) with two doubles, two RBI, two walks and four stolen bases in eight games for Triple-A Rochester.

The 6-foot-2, 189-pound Abrams was San Diego’s No. 1 prospect and the No. 9 prospect in all of baseball entering the 2022 season, according to both Baseball America and MLBPipeline.com. He was cited by Baseball America as being the “best hitter” and having the “best speed” in all of Minor League baseball entering the 2022 season.

Abrams made San Diego’s Opening Day roster and his Major League debut this season, starting the second game of the season at shortstop. He hit .232 with five doubles, two home runs, 11 RBI, four walks, one stolen base and 16 runs scored in 46 games across two Major League stints with the Padres this season.

He was selected to represent the Padres in the 2021 SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game. He has been cited by Baseball America as the “best defensive infielder” (2021, 2022), “best athlete” (2020-22), “fastest baserunner” (2020-22) and “best hitter for average” (2020-22) in San Diego’s Minor League system throughout his professional career. Following the 2019 season, he was named the Most Valuable Player in the rookie-level Arizona League and to Baseball America’s Rookie All-Star team.

After CJ Abrams was promoted to make his Nationals debut on Monday, another prospect from the trade of Juan Soto and Josh Bell to the Padres is rising through the ranks of the farm system.

Robert Hassell III was promoted from high Single-A Wilmington to Double-A Harrisburg today, as the Senators open a six-game homestand against the Erie SeaWolves (Tigers).

Currently the Nationals’ No. 1 prospect per MLB Pipeline, Hassell started 0-for-16 with the Blue Rocks before recording his first hit in the eighth inning of his fifth game in the Nats system. That started an 8-for-21 (.381) stretch over his next five games, including a 3-for-4 outing with two RBIs on Friday and a 2-for-4 game on Saturday.

Hassell, who turned 21 on Monday, finished 8-for-38 (.211) with a double, three RBIs, six walks and a perfect 3-for-3 in stolen bases at Wilmington.

The promotion to Harrisburg is a trickle-down effect from some roster moves at Triple-A Rochester aside from Abrams.

Steve Cishek grew up a Red Sox fan in Cape Cod, Mass., modeling his pitching after two of Boston’s aces, Pedro Martinez and Derek Lowe. He wanted his wind up to mimic Martinez’s, and his mechanics to be like Lowe’s.

Somewhere along the way, Cishek molded a delivery that was completely different from that of Martinez or Lowe: a sidearm motion that he would use to establish himself as a big league reliever. 

But for years, he had no idea his delivery was distinct.

“Somehow I came out the way I am today,” Cishek said. “I've had some pointers here and there, but even in high school people would ask how I throw like that and I had no idea what they were talking about.” 

Cishek says he’s a self-taught sidearm pitcher, and doesn’t know how to throw any other way — noting that it actually feels like he’s delivering the ball in the typical, over-the-top fashion when he pitches. It wasn’t until he was in college at Division-II Carson-Newman, watching video of himself pitch for the first time, that he realized how low he actually delivered the ball. 

A new era of Nationals baseball will get underway tonight on South Capitol Street. After the Juan Soto and Josh Bell reunion tours concluded in yesterday’s loss to the Padres, the first of the five prospects traded to Washington from San Diego will make his Nationals debut in the series opener against the Cubs.

Shortstop CJ Abrams was recalled from Triple-A Rochester this afternoon while Luis García landed on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to Aug. 13) with a left groin strain. Abrams is starting at shortstop and batting seventh tonight in the first of three against Chicago.

“It's a new team. It's a new start. It's a great opportunity and I'm excited to get going,” Abrams said in front of his new locker with his old Padres bags on the floor and his new No. 5 Nationals jersey hanging inside.

With left-hander MacKenzie Gore on the injured list with left elbow inflammation and the other three prospects still a couple of years away from the major leagues, Abrams will be the first prospect from the mega trade with the Padres to appear in a game for the Nats.

“It's amazing,” he said. “Like I said, it's a good opportunity. So do my thing out there and have fun playing.”

The final 46 games of a miserable season need to mean something to the Nationals. It’s far too late for the outcomes of these games to mean much of anything, but there’s still an opportunity to use what remains of the 2022 campaign on setting the stage for what’s to come in 2023 and beyond.

And the best way the Nats can do that is by getting a good look at any potential long-term pieces to the puzzle who are ready to play in the big leagues. Which makes tonight’s series opener against the Cubs as significant a game as they’ve played all summer.

With CJ Abrams set to be promoted from Triple-A Rochester and make his debut at shortstop, the first of five prospects the organization acquired from the Padres in this month’s Juan Soto-Josh Bell trade will be in uniform and in action on South Capitol Street.

Abrams is probably going to be the only one to play for the Nats for a little while longer. MacKenzie Gore, who was on the injured list with left elbow inflammation at the time of the trade, has begun throwing again but remains weeks away from pitching in a game. The three other prospects (Robert Hassell III, James Wood, Jarlin Susana) are still years away from making their major league debuts.

So that puts some significant pressure on Abrams, who is merely going to be asked to prove the trade was worthwhile via only his own performance on the field.

The Washington Nationals recalled outfielder Alex Call from Triple-A Rochester and optioned outfielder Josh Palacios to Triple-A Rochester on Sunday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement.

Call, 27, hit .292 with 18 doubles, one triple, 13 home runs, 52 RBI, 51 walks, nine stolen bases and 62 runs scored in 76 games between Triple-A Columbus (CLE) and Triple-A Rochester this season. He posted a .423 on-base percentage and a .521 slugging percentage in his sixth professional season in 2022.

The Nationals acquired Call off waivers from the Cleveland Guardians on Aug. 7. He went 8-for-18 (.444) with two doubles, two homers, six RBI, two walks, three stolen bases and six runs scored in five games with the Red Wings. This will be his second Major League stint of the season after he made his Major League debut on July 11 at Chicago (AL). He went 2-for-12 with four walks and two runs scored in 12 games for the Guardians.

Call was selected by the Chicago White Sox in the third round of the 2016 First-Year Player Draft out of Ball State (IN) University. He was acquired by the Guardians in exchange for Yonder Alonso on Dec. 14, 2018.

Palacios, 27, went 3-for-16 (.188) with a double and two runs scored in eight games for the Nationals.

The throw from Juan Soto was perfect, probably the best he’s made all year, no matter which uniform he was wearing. The catch and tag by Austin Nola was on point as well, nabbing a late-sliding César Hernández, whose front foot crossed above the plate without touching it. And as Paul Emmel made the out signal, the crowd of 33,661 at Nationals Park groaned in agony, believing their former favorite player had just prevented his old team from taking a lead in the bottom of the seventh.

Davey Martinez, though, immediately yelled out to Emmel from the first base dugout. He wanted the play reviewed, not to see if Hernández had slid under the tag, but to see if Nola had violated Major League Baseball’s controversial rule preventing catchers from blocking the plate before they’re in possession of the ball.

"I always get up to the top (step of the dugout) to look," Martinez said. "And right away, I told (bench coach Tim Bogar): Check that, because I think he blocked the plate for sure."

And after an agonizing wait, Martinez and the Nationals caught a rare break. Officials in New York deemed Nola had indeed impeded Hernández’s path to the plate, so the run counted and the Nats had themselves a 4-3 lead they would hold onto en route to a wild victory over the Padres.

That victory also included dramatic, back-to-back homers by Yadiel Hernandez and Joey Meneses in the bottom of the sixth, plus the 2,000th hit of Nelson Cruz’s career. (He’s the first player ever to reach that milestone while wearing a Nationals uniform.)

Though he’s not in tonight’s lineup, Luis García said he’s fine after suffering a minor groin strain during Friday night’s game against the Padres.

The young Nationals shortstop had an MRI this morning to determine the extent of the injury, which he suffered while running out a groundball in the sixth inning of a 10-5 loss. Manager Davey Martinez referred to the ailment as “a little bit of a strain in his left groin,” and said García will be day-to-day until it heals.

“I want him to get treatment today,” Martinez said. “Hopefully later on he’s available to pinch-hit. We’ll see how it goes.”

The groin injury came only two days after Garcia had to leave a game in Chicago with a sore knee, creating at least some concern about the state of the 22-year-old’s legs, and raising the question of whether the organization might be on the verge of promoting recently acquired shortstop C.J. Abrams.

Had García gone on the injured list, it’s possible the Nationals would’ve replaced him on the roster with Abrams, one of the key prospects they got last week from San Diego for Juan Soto and Josh Bell. The 21-year-old shortstop entered the day batting .296 (8-for-27) with two doubles, two RBIs, four stolen bases and a .725 OPS in seven games for Triple-A Rochester.

The hubbub of Friday night should have dissipated now, so tonight’s game between the Nationals and Padres should feel a bit more normal. That is, as normal as it could feel with Juan Soto and Josh Bell playing for the opposition. Both former Nats should continue to receive nice ovations when they step to the plate tonight, but I wouldn’t expect nearly as much emotion or any formal acknowledgment of them in this one.

The Nationals were beaten around by San Diego’s lineup in the series opener, and that’s even with Soto and Bell playing only a minimal role in the proceedings. That’s an awfully tough lineup to contend with, and so the challenge tonight for Aníbal Sánchez is significant. The 38-year-old right-hander is still seeking his first win (or even his first no-decision) in his sixth big league start of the season. He was better in his last outing at the Cubs earlier this week, but he was done in by a pair of third-inning home runs, which continues to be his primary issue.

The Nats lineup faces a significant challenge itself in Padres starter Yu Darvish, who over his last 11 starts is 6-2 with a 2.68 ERA and 0.919 WHIP. It’s only the third time the veteran right-hander has ever faced Washington; he dominated here in D.C. way back in 2014 with the Rangers but was hit hard last summer at Petco Park in a game that became better known as the one when Max Scherzer gave up a grand slam to a relief pitcher.

SAN DIEGO PADRES at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 7:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 78 degrees, wind 5 mph out to left field

NATIONALS
CF Victor Robles
1B Luke Voit
DH Nelson Cruz
LF Yadiel Hernandez
RF Joey Meneses
C Keibert Ruiz
2B César Hernández
3B Maikel Franco
SS Ildemaro Vargas