The Nationals rotation, a surprising strength for the club so far this season, is getting a surprising shakeup today.

Trevor Williams has been placed on the 15-day injured list with a flexor muscle strain, opening the door for left-hander DJ Herz to make his major league debut tonight.

Williams was scheduled to face the Mets in the second game of a three-game series, hoping to continue his strong run to begin the season. The 32-year-old right-hander is 5-0 with a 2.22 ERA and 1.076 WHIP through 11 starts, having surrendered only two homers one year after he led the league with 34 homers allowed.

Williams last pitched Thursday in Atlanta and showed no outward signs of physical ailment. He held the Braves to one run over 5 2/3 innings, throwing 95 pitches (his second-highest total of the season).

The flexor muscle strain is the same injury suffered by Josiah Gray in April. Gray is scheduled to face live hitters today for the third time since going on the IL, and if all goes well is expected to begin a minor league rehab assignment after that.

The Washington Nationals recalled left-handed pitcher DJ Herz from Triple-A Rochester and placed right-handed pitcher Trevor Williams on the 15-day Injured List (retroactive to June 1) with a right flexor muscle strain on Tuesday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Herz will start and make his Major League debut tonight against the New York Mets at Nationals Park.

Herz, 23, is 3-2 with a 3.75 ERA, 42 strikeouts and a .177 opponents’ batting average in nine starts for the Red Wings this season. Over his last four starts, Herz is 3-0 with a 2.50 ERA (5 ER/18.0 IP), 25 strikeouts and a .148 average against. In his last start on May 30 vs. St. Paul (MIN), he struck out 10 and allowed one run on two hits and one walk in 5.1 innings.

Herz leads all of Minor League Baseball with a .176 opponents’ batting average and is third with 13.09 strikeouts per 9.0 innings since the start of the 2021 season (min. 250.0 IP). In parts of five Minor League seasons, Herz is 13-16 with a 3.65 ERA with 455 strikeouts in 317.2 innings and has held opposing hitters to a .178 batting average.

Originally an eighth-round pick by the Chicago Cubs in 2019 from Sanford High School in Fayetteville, N.C., Herz was acquired by the Nationals on July 31, 2023, with Kevin Made in exchange for Jeimer Candelario. He is currently ranked as the Nationals No. 12 prospect according to MLB Pipeline.

Williams, 32, is 5-0 with a 2.22 ERA (14 ER / 56.2 IP), 47 strikeouts and 16 walks in 11 starts this season.

Monday night’s 8-7 loss to the Mets was one of the Nationals’ more eventful games of the season, featuring an odd combination of encouraging, discouraging and frustrating moments along the way.

Let’s look back at some of the developments worthy of a second look …

* Drew Millas’ rough night
Making his first start behind the plate since his promotion Sunday from Triple-A Rochester, the rookie catcher was front and center for much of the game. And he did not enjoy a particularly good game.

At the plate, Millas went 0-for-4 with a walk, but he wound up as the guy in the batter’s box with the game on the line in the bottom of the ninth, the bases loaded and his team trailing by one run. He proceeded to strike out on three pitches, including a 97-mph fastball down the pipe from left-hander Jake Diekman that he watched sail by for a killer strikeout.

“I think my swing got a little big,” the switch-hitter said of his approach to the first two pitches of the at-bat. “I haven’t batted righty in a while, but that’s no excuse. I feel very confident right-handed to get the job done in that scenario. There’s zero excuse there.”

Though he hasn’t been lights-out every time he has pitched this season, MacKenzie Gore had shown significant progress from last season in one key area: The ability to avoid letting a shaky start go completely awry.

That streak ended tonight with easily the left-hander’s worst outing of the year. Unable to consistently locate any of his pitches, the young Nationals starter couldn’t take advantage of some rare healthy run support from his teammates and ultimately was the pitcher of record in an 8-7 loss to the Mets that saw the home team come up just short with a last-ditch attempted rally in the ninth.

"A lot of fight with our team and in our clubhouse. We always feel like we're in it," said Jesse Winker, who had three hits and drove in three runs. "We almost got the job done."

This game didn’t resemble any of Gore’s previous 11 starts, nor did it resemble many of the Nats’ previous 58 games. They had been 19-7 this season when scoring at least four runs, 19-5 when scoring at least five runs.

That wasn’t enough offense tonight, not with Gore laboring throughout his outing.

CJ Abrams and Jacob Young are once again out of the Nationals lineup, leaving the team shorthanded once again with two regulars dealing with injuries.

Abrams, who jammed his left shoulder making a diving play at shortstop Friday night, is sitting for the third straight day. Young, who took a pitch off his right hand Saturday afternoon, is sitting for the second straight day.

Davey Martinez said Abrams has reported improvement in his shoulder each day, but it does continue to bother him when he swings.

“CJ said he felt better today than he did yesterday, so it is getting better,” the manager said. “I figured just give him another day, and hopefully if we need him (off the bench), he’s available.”

Young tried to hit in the cage today and reported his hand remains sore, so the Nationals decided not to push it and gave him his second straight day off.

The Nationals are home again, something that hasn’t happened very much this season. They’ve played only 23 games in their own ballpark to date, the lowest total in the majors. (They’ve played 35 games on the road, for comparison.) So this seven-game homestand against the Mets and Braves is a welcome development for everyone, even if they have played relatively well away from D.C.

First up are the Mets, who are in a bit of a tailspin and face their own travel dilemma later this week. Following Wednesday’s 4:05 p.m. getaway game, they’re taking off for London and a two-game series against the Phillies. It will be interesting to see where their focus is these next three days, with that trip looming.

The Nationals send MacKenzie Gore to the mound, and he was outstanding against the Braves last week, striking out 10 with zero walks across 5 1/3 innings. The left-hander did well in three starts against New York last year, allowing only four runs in 15 innings.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. NEW YORK METS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 6:45 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 82 degrees, wind 5 mph out to left field

NATIONALS
CF Lane Thomas
RF Eddie Rosario
2B Luis García Jr.
DH Keibert Ruiz
3B Nick Senzel
LF Jesse Winker
SS Ildemaro Vargas
1B Joey Gallo
C Drew Millas

CLEVELAND – Drew Millas was sitting in the dugout in Rochester during Saturday night’s game against St. Paul, not in the Red Wings lineup and not having any reason to think his manager was about to start yelling at him.

And then he heard Matt LeCroy bellow out: “Millas, come down here!”

Not sure what this could possibly be about, the young catcher approached his Triple-A manager and was surprised by what he heard next: “You want to go to the big leagues?”

“Yeah,” Millas responded.

“Alright,” LeCroy shot back. “You’re going.”

CLEVELAND – The schedule has not been kind to the Nationals through the season’s first two months, from far more games on the road (35) than at home (23) to a current stretch of 17 consecutive games without a scheduled day off to a number of series against some of the top contenders in both leagues.

How have the Nats handled it all? Maybe they haven’t thrived, but they’ve more than held their own under the circumstances.

With a 5-2 victory over the Guardians today, the Nationals secured a winning road trip at 4-3. They started the week taking three of four in Atlanta. They preceded that with a series win over the American Leauge West-leading Mariners, leaving them 6-4 so far during this particularly grueling stretch heading into a seven-game homestand against the Mets and Braves.

They may have lost this weekend series to Cleveland, currently in first place in the AL Central. But they admittedly gave away Saturday’s game with several defensive and baserunning gaffes. And then they bounced back and won today’s finale despite a depleted lineup missing both CJ Abrams and Jacob Young, thanks to one big early outburst and another strong pitching performance led by Jake Irvin.

"I think to win the majority of games on a road trip, against two teams that have played really well so far this year, I think it's a win in everyone's mind," outfielder Lane Thomas said. "I think we left some stuff on the table the first two games here, but they played well. I think we definitely could've made the first game closer and maybe been in contention yesterday. But it's a tough league, and we play a lot of games for a reason. Going forward, I think we have a chance to beat a lot more good teams."

CLEVELAND – The Nationals swapped out backup catchers this morning, optioning Riley Adams to Triple-A and recalling Drew Millas from Rochester, hoping the latter can provide a more potent bat in the big leagues while the former tries to rediscover his swing (while also getting playing time at another position) in the minors.

Adams got off to a hot start to the season and filled in admirably when starting catcher Keibert Ruiz dealt with a bad case of the flu, batting .293 with six extra-base hits and an .863 OPS through his first 12 games.

But he’s been in a prolonged slump since then, batting just .132 with one double and 16 strikeouts over his last 13 games. He hit a low point Saturday afternoon, going 0-for-3 with two strikeouts and letting a bounced pitch from Mitchell Parker get past him and roll all the way to the first base dugout as the Guardians’ José Ramírez scored all the way from second for what proved to be the decisive run in a 3-2 loss.

The Nationals hope more consistent playing time at Triple-A will give Adams a better chance of rediscovering his swing.

“It was a timing thing. He’s just got to get himself ready earlier,” manager Davey Martinez said. “It’s hard to do when you’re not playing every day. So getting him at-bats every day, and getting him locked in again, definitely will help him.”

CLEVELAND – The Nationals need a win in today’s series finale to avoid getting swept by a Guardians team that has won 14 of its last 17 and is absolutely rolling right now.

Both games this weekend have been competitive, with Friday night’s opener turning ugly late when the Nats bullpen gave up five runs and Saturday’s affair a tight one-run loss that hinged on two bad defensive plays. So Davey Martinez would love a cleaner game from his guys this afternoon, though the field will be wet after it rained this morning.

Jake Irvin gets the start, looking to continue what he’s been doing. The right-hander struck out a career-high 10 batters Tuesday in Atlanta, and he enters this game with a 3.43 ERA and sparkling 1.032 WHIP. Veteran Carlos Carrasco, fresh off a brief stint on the injured list, starts for Cleveland. Carrasco had two rough outings in late April but otherwise has allowed three or fewer earned runs in his seven other starts this year.

The Nationals made a roster move this morning, recalling Drew Millas from Triple-A and optioning Riley Adams to Rochester in a swap of backup catchers. Adams had been struggling at the plate for a few weeks, and his struggles behind the plate Saturday may have also exacerbated the move. Millas, who was up here briefly earlier this season when Keibert Ruiz was sick, was batting .308 with six doubles, five homers and 22 RBIs in 30 games with Rochester.

UPDATE: For the second straight day, CJ Abrams has been scratched, his left shoulder still bothering him when he tries to swing. Lane Thomas moves into the leadoff spot, with Ildemaro Vargas again taking over at shortstop and batting ninth.

The Washington Nationals recalled catcher Drew Millas from Triple-A Rochester and optioned catcher Riley Adams to Triple-A Rochester on Sunday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement.

Millas, 26, joins the Nationals for the third time this season after hitting .308 with six doubles, five homers, 22 RBI, eight walks, five stolen bases and 11 runs scored in 30 games for the Red Wings. He hit safely in nine of his last 10 games, going 12-for-36 (.333) with a double and eight RBI during that stretch.

Millas appeared in two games with Washington in his first two stints of the season. He made his Major League debut in 2023 after his contract was selected on August 28. Millas hit safely in six of his first eight starts, including each of his first four. In 11 Major League games last year, Millas hit .286 (8-for-28) with two doubles, a home run, six RBI, four walks and a run scored.

Adams, 27, appeared in 25 games for the Nationals this season. He hit .215 with five doubles, two homers, six RBI, seven walks, one stolen base and six runs scored.

CLEVELAND – Over the course of this afternoon’s game at Progressive Field, the Nationals allowed two runs to score on a popup, allowed another to score all the way from second base on a wild pitch, had one of their own runners tagged out after rounding third base too far, had another picked off first base even when he wasn’t being held on, saw their manager get ejected, saw their shortstop get scratched shortly before first pitch due to injury and saw their center fielder depart later due to injury.

It was, by any measure, an ugly performance from the visitors, the kind of performance they couldn’t afford against one of the majors’ hottest teams.

And yet, somehow the Nats still found themselves with a chance to beat the Guardians, if only they could come through with one modest rally before game’s end. Alas, they could not. And so this went down as a 3-2 loss, and certainly one of the weirder and more frustrating losses of the season.

"You feel like we lost that game more than they won it," catcher Riley Adams said.

Already playing without shortstop CJ Abrams, who was scratched less than an hour before first pitch due to a jammed left shoulder suffered Friday night, the Nationals also lost center fielder Jacob Young to a swollen right hand he first noticed after making a long throw to third base in the seventh inning.

CLEVELAND – Friday night didn’t go particularly well for the Nationals, who totaled one run on four hits and one walk and then watched as a close game blew up on them late, turning into a 7-1 loss to the Guardians. This series is no small task, what with Cleveland having now won 14 of 17 behind excellent pitching and a surprisingly productive lineup.

So it’s up to Mitchell Parker to try to keep the positive pitching vibes going for the Nats today. The last four starters each gave up two or fewer runs. Parker gave up three runs to the Braves his last start, hardly anything to be ashamed about. The rookie left-hander continues to impress, and he’ll once again face a lineup that has never seen him before, which has to play to his advantage.

Only one member of the Nationals lineup has ever faced Ben Lively before: Jesse Winker, who is 1-for-4 with a walk and a strikeout. Otherwise, everyone will be going up against an unknown right-hander, one who has been excellent himself. Like Parker, Lively has yet to allow more than three runs in any start this season.

In other words, expect yet another low-scoring, tight ballgame decided by situational hitting and clean defense. Just like so many games we’ve watched this season.

UPDATE: CJ Abrams has been scratched from today's lineup. He said he jammed his shoulder making a diving play early in Friday night's game. Jacob Young will now bat leadoff, with Ildemaro Vargas taking over at shortstop.

CLEVELAND – Victor Robles won’t be remaining in the Nationals organization after the club made another procedural move today that ensures the longtime outfielder will have to try to revitalize his career with another franchise.

The Nats requested unconditional release waivers on Robles today, a transaction that comes five days after they designated him for assignment. The DFA move immediately removed the 27-year-old from the 40-man roster but left him in limbo for the week while the club explored its various options.

The Nationals could have traded Robles to another team, but no satisfactory offers were made. He’s now available to 29 other clubs via waivers, but any claiming team would be responsible for his $2.65 million salary.

If Robles went unclaimed, the Nats could have attempted to outright him to Triple-A Rochester, though as a veteran with five years of big league service time, he could have refused the assignment and become a free agent. By requesting unconditional release waivers, they are already stating their intention not to keep him in the organization.

So, once Robles officially passes through waivers unclaimed, he’ll be released. If another team decides to sign him at that point, it would only have to pay him a prorated portion of the league minimum salary ($740,000). The Nationals would be responsible for the rest of his guaranteed deal, which expires at the end of the season.

CLEVELAND – There are any number of stats you can point to when trying to show how much the Nationals have struggled offensively so far this season.

The Nats rank 25th out of 30 major league clubs in runs scored, 27th in hits, 27th in homers.

They’ve been shut out six times, most in the National League. They’ve been held to two or fewer runs 22 times, tied for most in the NL.

Here’s a new one, though, one that might just illustrate the problem more than any other: The Nationals have been held to four or fewer hits in 13 of their 56 games to date. That’s 23 percent of their games, nearly one-quarter of their total, in which they’ve finished with no more than four hits.

How bad is that? Well, consider this: The Nats were held to four or fewer hits 12 times last season. That’s over the entire season. They’ve already surpassed that total with 106 games still to be played.

CLEVELAND – A bleary-eyed Nationals team showed up for work this evening, flying high from a series win in Atlanta but dragging from a delayed flight following a getaway night that didn’t have them in bed until about 5 a.m.

Was a lack of sleep to blame for their eventual 7-1 loss to the Guardians? Or was it just another rough night at the plate for an offensively challenged club? Or was Cleveland’s pitching staff just that good?

Take your pick. Any or all of those reasons could be valid. Whatever the explanation, the Nats lost yet another ballgame that was low-scoring and tight late to a talented opponent. It’s happened before, and it’ll probably happen again. But it’s not cause for panic, especially if they stay true to form and bounce back Saturday after they get a well deserved good night’s sleep.

"It's tough. I still think getaway days should be at 1 (p.m.)," starter Patrick Corbin said. "You never know what can happen. We play every day. It's tough, but it happens to everybody. You have to try to find ways to battle through it. Hopefully guys can get some rest tonight and come back tomorrow."

The shame of this loss was that it came on a night Corbin was quite good. The veteran left-hander, who entered with a 6.12 ERA, became the fourth straight Nationals starter to allow two or fewer runs. Somehow, he still emerged with a loss, his sixth of the year.

CLEVELAND – The Nationals clubhouse was mostly empty three hours before tonight’s series opener at Progressive Field, only a few players lounging around and chatting while the rest waited to take a late bus to the ballpark following an exceptionally late night of travel.

A 7:20 p.m. getaway night game in Atlanta was bad enough. Then a lengthy delay with the team’s charter plane meant the Nats didn’t finally check into their Cleveland hotel until nearly 5 a.m.

Suffice it to say, Davey Martinez canceled batting practice and told everyone to report to the park later than usual, hoping they would get some much needed rest in the meantime.

“We pushed the buses back a little bit, but these guys are all getting ready,” Martinez said during his 5 p.m. pregame session with reporters. “A lot of them are already in the cage. We’ll have our (pre-series scouting) meetings and try to get ready to go.”

The Nationals weren’t pleased with the scheduling of their four-game series against the Braves, which began with a 4:10 p.m. Memorial Day affair but then concluded with three straight 7:20 p.m. starts. This also comes during a tough stretch of 17 consecutive scheduled game days, with their next day off still a ways away on June 10.

CLEVELAND – The Nationals come to town feeling pretty good about themselves. They just took three of four from the Braves in Atlanta, getting some outstanding pitching along the way. Now they face another legitimate challenge in the Guardians, quietly one of the hottest teams in baseball.

Cleveland has won 13 of 16, a stretch that included a nine-game winning streak. This lineup doesn’t feature a whole lot of big names, but it leads the American League in runs scored, so obviously it’s been effective.

It’s up to Patrick Corbin to try to keep that lineup down and keep the Nats’ rotation on a roll. We know that’s easier said than done with the left-hander, who was better in his last start but still gave up four runs in six innings. The issue: home runs. Corbin gave up a pair in that game against the Mariners and three of them before that against the Twins.

The Guardians have some good young pitching as well, and Tanner Bibee falls into that category. The 25-year-old, who finished runner-up for Rookie of the Year in 2023, hasn’t been as sharp this season but still enters this one with a 3.99 ERA and only four runs allowed his last three starts combined.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at CLEVELAND GUARDIANS
Where: Progressive Field
Gametime: 7:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Clear, 69 degrees, wind 4 mph in from center field

ATLANTA – As Eddie Rosario walked to the plate for the first time on Monday, Braves catcher Sean Murphy moved from his normal position behind it to in front of it, unofficially pausing the game. He knew what was about to happen.

The public address announcer introduced Rosario as the Nationals’ fourth batter in the first inning and the crowd of 38,858 fans stood up and applauded, an unusual thing to do for an opposing player. But Rosario wasn’t any ordinary opposing player.

The 32-year-old outfielder, who played three seasons with the Braves while winning the 2021 World Series and being named the National League Championship Series MVP along the way, tried to let the ovation pass. But the applause grew louder.

Finally, Rosario stepped out of the box, took off his helmet, waved it to the crowd and patted his heart in appreciation. He also acknowledged his former teammates and coaches who had joined the moment from the home dugout and playing field.

Then he hit the third pitch he saw from Charlie Morton down the left field line for an RBI double, giving his new team an early lead over his former squad.

ATLANTA – The Nationals won two of the first three games against the Braves with some big hits and great pitching. They haven’t always gotten home runs, but they got one from CJ Abrams on Monday and one from Lane Thomas on Wednesday. They haven’t always seen their starter go deep in the game, but Mitchell Parker, Jake Irvin and MacKenzie Gore combined for 17 ⅔ innings.

With a chance to win the four-game series, the Nationals went back to the recipe for success that has helped them win most of their games thus far this season. And it was some good cooking that resulted in a 3-1 victory in front of 37,784 fans, who also watched the Nats win the set.

As it has for the past week, it started on the mound. The Nationals stuck to their plan that has proven to be very successful with Trevor Williams, who completed 5 ⅔ innings of one-run ball with four hits, two walks and two strikeouts on 95 pitches, 56 strikes.

“Going into the fourth game of a series, you get a good feel for what the lineup is going to do," Williams said after the game. "And all the guys the last three days gave tremendous outings. So for them to do what they did, we were able to execute our game plan for the most part. It was a well-fought win for us. Thankful for the guys behind me that they were able to make some plays and we were able to execute some pitches and get us out of some jams.”

The only run scored on him came in the third when Jarred Kelenic hit a triple to left that Eddie Rosario missed while sliding, and then Michael Harris II scored him with a sacrifice fly on the first pitch.