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

·         Selected the contract of right-handed pitcher Cade Cavalli from Triple-A Rochester

·         Returned from rehabilitation assignment and reinstated infielder Luis García from the 10-day Injured List

·         Optioned right-handed pitcher Cory Abbott to Triple-A Rochester (on Wednesday)

·         Unconditionally released third baseman Maikel Franco

The Washington Nationals are back in D.C. for a six-game homestand that features three matchups against the Cincinnati Reds followed by a three-game series vs. the Oakland Athletics. Single-game tickets start at just $9. Fans interested in purchasing tickets should visit nationals.com/Tickets.

The season’s 10th homestand features Ladies Night; DC Comics™ Day; Teacher Appreciation Day; City Connect uniforms; an MLB Network clear tote bag giveaway; Filipino Heritage Night; Jewish Community Day; Georgetown University Day; a Nationals Hawaiian shirt giveaway; Grateful Dead Night; Heroes Day; First Responders Night; Summer Reading Sunday; Signature Sunday; Kids Run the Bases; and more.

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. or Devon Bridges at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for credentialing information.

FRIDAY, AUG. 26 vs. CINCINNATI REDS (7:05 PM)

• Ladies Night

o   This year, Ladies Night and DC Comics™ Day fall on the same evening, giving the Nationals the unique opportunity to pay tribute to real-world superheroes in the community. The Ladies Night special event ticket includes a limited edition Wonder Woman t-shirt, vendor activations, food and drink tastings, a Q&A panel with women from D.C.’s professional sports teams, and more.

It’s a special occasion when a pitcher makes his major league debut, all the more so when he starts the game, and especially when he enters that start as a highly touted prospect who could figure prominently into the organization’s long-term plan.

So make no mistake, Cade Cavalli’s big league debut tonight is a big deal for the Nationals, who desperately need their 2020 top draft pick to realize his full potential and help lead this rebuilding pitching staff for years to come.

Cavalli will be the 28th starting pitcher to make his major league debut for the Nationals since 2005, and that list is littered with long-forgotten names (Shairon Martis, J.D. Martin, Taylor Jordan) who never really amounted to anything. It also includes a few other highly touted prospects, some of whom did go on to realize their full potential for the Nats (Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmermann) or for other clubs (Lucas Giolito).

What’s most notable, though, is the lack of prominent pitching debuts for this franchise in recent years. Cavalli is only the sixth Nats starter to make his major league debut the last four years, joining the likes of Austin Voth (2018), Wil Crowe (2020), Joan Adon (2021), Evan Lee (2022) and Jackson Tetreault (2022).

The last first-round pick to debut as a starter was Erick Fedde in 2017. The last one to debut with significant fanfare was Giolito in 2016. And the last one to actually earn the win in his first career start was none other than Strasburg way back on the glorious night of June 8, 2010.

SEATTLE – The focus of the remainder of the Nationals’ season is going to be on the handful of young players they’re now trying to build around, a group that will see its highest-profile addition yet Friday night when top pitching prospect Cade Cavalli makes his major league debut.

But that doesn’t mean there isn’t still some room for an older player or two to take advantage of the opportunity he’s being given to make a name for himself, and possibly earn his way into the Nats’ 2023 plans as well.

We’ve already seen Joey Meneses do it with six homers in his first three weeks in the big leagues. Now how about Ildemaro Vargas, the 31-year-old utility infielder who has suddenly become the Nationals’ everyday third baseman and just finished off a strong road trip with a bang.

Vargas’ two-run homer off Mariners closer Paul Sewald with two outs in the top of the ninth this afternoon lifted the Nats to an unexpected 3-1 victory in the finale of a brief, two-game series. It was Vargas’ second homer of this West Coast trip, his previous one coming in his first at-bat in San Diego during Thursday night’s win over the Padres.

"I've always worked hard to get an opportunity like this one, to where I get an opportunity to play every day," Vargas said, via interpreter Octavio Martinez. "I'm very thankful to the team, the organization, for the opportunity I've gotten. I'm just trying to take advantage and keep working hard and contribute any way I can."

As the Nationals look forward to watching Cade Cavalli, CJ Abrams and possibly MacKenzie Gore finish out the last month of the 2022 season, they announced the complete 2023 schedule earlier today.

The 2023 Major League Baseball season will be the first to feature a balanced schedule for all 30 teams since interleague play was introduced in 1997. Each of the 30 clubs will play against one another, while also hosting every other club in their home market at least once every other season.

Opening day will start the 19th season of Nationals baseball in our nation’s capital with the Braves visiting on Thursday, March 30. It will be the fifth time the Nats have faced the Braves on opening day. It will also start a six-game homestand against the Braves and Rays to start the regular season.

The Nats’ first road trip of 2023 takes them to Colorado and Anaheim for seven games to face the Rockies and Angels. It will be the second year in a row the Nats will travel to face old friend Anthony Rendon and the Halos, who do not make a trip to D.C. next year.

The annual Battle of the Beltways series against the Orioles are earlier and later than usual next year. The two rivals will play two games April 18-19 at Nationals Park and two games Sept. 26-27 at Camden Yards during the Nats’ final road trip of the season.

SEATTLE – Cade Cavalli – and Nationals fans – don’t have to wait any longer. The organization’s top pitching prospect will make his major league debut Friday night.

Manager Davey Martinez made it official today, confirming the 24-year-old right-hander will start Friday’s series opener against the Reds, with a plan to have him continue to pitch every five or six days the rest of the season.

“We’re excited,” Martinez said. “He’s checked a lot of the boxes. With that being said, with all of our young guys, part of the process is patience. We’re going to get him up here and get him going, and see how he does. But he’s done well in Rochester, really well, as the numbers will indicate.”

Cavalli’s season-long numbers at Triple-A (3.71 ERA, 1.175 WHIP, 104 strikeouts in 97 innings) are solid but not spectacular. But over his last 13 starts, he’s been electric (2.10 ERA, 1.019 WHIP, 77 strikeouts in 68 2/3 innings), capped off by a 109-pitch outing Saturday against Worcester in which he had seven strikeouts through his first three innings.

In promoting him now, the Nationals have set it up for Cavalli to make his first two starts at home against non-contenders (Friday vs. the Reds, Sept. 1 vs. the Athletics) before the team faces mostly NL East contenders during the season’s final month.

SEATTLE – It feels like the Nationals just got here, but they’re already set for the finale of a two-game series with the Mariners. Tough scheduling, coming all the way out here for 36 hours. They’ll try to at least split the series with a victory today, hoping they can score some runs, especially early, which has been a recurring problem for them.

They’ll take their cracks at Seattle right-hander George Kirby, the 24-year-old who makes his first career start against the Nats. He’s been quite good this summer, allowing 11 total runs over his last seven starts for a 2.63 ERA (though they tend to hold him to fewer than 100 pitches).

Aníbal Sánchez gets the start for the Nationals, still seeking his first win and perhaps pitching for his spot in the rotation as the club prepares to make some more changes. Cade Cavalli, the 2020 first-round draft pick and organizational top prospect, is set to make his major league debut Friday night against the Reds, a source confirmed today. We’ll have more on that shortly, but obviously Cavalli’s arrival will bump somebody out of the rotation, and Sánchez and Paolo Espino would seem to be the most likely options.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at SEATTLE MARINERS
Where: T-Mobile Park
Gametime: 4:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Sunny, 77 degrees, wind 7 mph left field to right field

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

The Washington Nationals, in conjunction with Major League Baseball, announced their 2023 schedule on Wednesday. The 19th season of Nationals baseball will commence with an Opening Day matchup at home against the Atlanta Braves on Thursday, March 30. Opening Day 2023 will mark the fifth time the Nationals (2005-pres.) have faced the Braves on Opening Day.

The 2023 season will be the first to feature a balanced schedule for all 30 Clubs across Major League Baseball since Interleague Play was introduced in 1997. Each of the 30 Clubs will play against one another, and in addition, each of the 30 Clubs will host every other Club in their home market at least once every other season. Specific features of the new balanced schedule include: 

• Division Games
• 52 total games against divisional opponents (decreased from 76)
• 13 games (four total series) against each divisional opponent (decreased from 19 games across six series), including seven home games and six away games (or vice versa), for a total of 26 home games and 26 away games

• Intraleague Games
• 64 total games (32 home games and 32 away games) against non-divisional league opponents (decreased from 66)
• Clubs will play six games against six league opponents, and seven games against four league opponents (previous format was reversed with six games against four league opponents, and seven games against six league opponents)

• Interleague Games
• 46 total games against interleague opponents (increased from 20)
• Clubs will play a home and home series against their natural rivals (four games total)
• Clubs will play 42 games against other interleague opponents, including seven series (21 games) at home and seven series (21 games) on the road

Washington’s initial homestand will feature three games against the Braves before a three-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays, Monday through Wednesday, April 3-5. The Nationals will host 13 homestands and 14 weekend series during the 2023 season. No homestand will be longer than nine games. Washington’s first road trip will take the team to Colorado, April 6-9, and Los Angeles to face the Angels, April 10-12.

The annual Beltway Series vs. the Baltimore Orioles will renew April 18-19 at Nationals Park, and Washington will travel to Baltimore during the final road trip of the season, Sept. 26-27.

Including their first road trip of the season, the Nationals will make four visits to the West Coast by the end of June. They play at the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Francisco Giants May 5-10; at the Los Angeles Dodgers May 29-31; and at San Diego Padres and Seattle Mariners June 23-28.

SEATTLE – You wouldn’t think it based on the historic negative streak they keep extending every night, but the Nationals are getting good pitching out of their rotation right now. Four times in their last five games, Nats starters have gone at least five innings while allowing one or two runs.

And yet this team has now gone 40 consecutive games without seeing one of its starters earn a win, the longest such streak of futility in modern major league history.

Erick Fedde did his part to try to end the run tonight, tossing five strong innings in his return from the injured list, but it mattered not because the Nationals lineup remained lifeless at the plate, getting no-hit for six innings by Robbie Ray, then settling for Joey Meneses’ solo homer before falling 4-2 to the Mariners.

It was yet another woeful showing by the Nats, who have scored four total runs over their last three games, dropping all three despite their pitchers having allowed only eight runs in those games.

"We've got to get our offense going," manager Davey Martinez said. "We've got to put the ball in play a little bit more. We've got to stay in the middle of the field. We've got to get on for our big guys, and they've got to start driving in runs."

SEATTLE – Needing to clear a spot on their pitching staff for returning starter Erick Fedde, the Nationals opted to shift Cory Abbott to the bullpen and designate Tyler Clippard for assignment, likely ending the popular veteran’s second stint with the organization on a sour note.

Clippard could potentially return to Triple-A Rochester if he clears waivers, but manager Davey Martinez suggested the move was made in part to give the 37-year-old more time to catch on with another franchise and finish out the season.

The Nationals’ all-time leader in appearances with 418, Clippard returned to the organization this spring more than seven years after he last pitched for them. A stalwart of their bullpen from 2008-14, he went on to have a long career as one of baseball’s most reliable and durable relievers while pitching for 10 different teams.

The Nats hoped to rekindle some old magic and enjoy a feel-good story when they signed Clippard to a minor league deal in March, but it didn’t come close to working out as hoped. After spending three months performing well at Rochester, he finally was called up in mid-July but made only one appearance before landing on the injured list with a groin strain. He returned healthy two weeks ago but was scored upon in two of his three outings while seeing very little action.

Clippard pitched a scoreless inning during Saturday’s 2-1 loss in San Diego, and that proved to be his final appearance before he was informed of the news today in Seattle.

SEATTLE – The last time the Nationals played here at what’s now known as T-Mobile Park was Aug. 31, 2014. They suffered a 5-3 loss to the Mariners, with Tanner Roark taking the loss and Fernando Rodney recording the save. The only other time the Nats played here prior to that was in June 2008, a series in which Kory Casto hit his only major league home run and Tyler Clippard recorded his first win for the organization, back when he was a starter.

So, yeah, it’s been a while. And sadly, tonight’s return to Seattle also coincides with the end of Clippard’s current stint with the Nationals, and possibly the end of his career. Needing to remove a pitcher from their roster and clear a spot for Erick Fedde, the club decided to designate the 37-year-old Clippard for assignment.

Fedde, who had been on the 15-day injured list with shoulder inflammation, starts tonight. And he’ll be working with a new batterymate in Riley Adams, who officially was recalled from Triple-A to take the spot that opened up when Tres Barrera was optioned to Rochester.

Adams will bat seventh against Seattle lefty (and one-time Nationals prospect) Robbie Ray. The rest of Davey Martinez’s lineup includes Alex Call leading off, Joey Meneses batting second, Luke Voit returning from back spasms to bat third and Lane Thomas batting fifth on his 27th birthday. (He’ll have to keep waiting for that first opportunity to bat third in the starting lineup.)

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at SEATTLE MARINERS
Where: T-Mobile Park
Gametime: 10:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, MLB.com
Weather: Clear, 76 degrees, wind 6 mph in from left field

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.