Richie Martin won't make his spring debut this afternoon against the Rays, with manager Brandon Hyde giving him a little more time following hamate bone surgery rather than sending him to Port Charlotte to play shortstop. Martin underwent the procedure in January after breaking the bone in Puerto Rico. He batted yesterday in a simulated game and was expected in the lineup today, but his first Grapefruit League activity remains on hold. The former Rule 5 pick said on his Zoom call that he'll...

It was a spring training game, three at-bats and five innings in left field in Jupiter, Fla. Gerardo Parra had done something along those lines hundreds of times in his career. And yet this one felt different. Some 17 months removed from the last game he played in a Nationals uniform, the veteran outfielder wasn't just going through the motions when he took the field Monday. "I feel emotional inside," he said during a Zoom session with reporters afterward. "Really, really...

The District of Columbia has approved the Nationals' request to allow crowds of up to 5,000 at Nationals Park, ensuring they will join Major League Baseball's other 29 clubs in playing in front of at least some fans to begin the 2021 season. In a letter sent to the team Monday night, D.C. Director of Homeland Security and Emergency Management Christopher Rodriguez said the club's March 13 waiver application to operate Nationals Park with fans has been approved. The team then made a public...

The Washington Nationals, with approval from the Government of the District of Columbia and Major League Baseball, today announced that Nationals Park will welcome fans back to the ballpark for the 2021 season, beginning on Opening Day, Thursday, April 1 against the New York Mets. The Opening Day game will be aired nationally on ESPN, with first pitch scheduled for 7:09 p.m. ET. In accordance with CDC recommendations and MLB protocols, the Nationals will implement appropriate social distancing...

Learning more about future Orioles third baseman Maikel Franco requires pushing away from online statistics as if they're underneath the remains of a holiday spread. What else is out there? For me, it starts with learning how to pronounce his name. I've heard a couple of versions this week. Going back online to BaseballReference.com - never stray too far - it's "Michael Fraun-co" rather than "May-KEL Franco" or "MAY-kel Franco." You'll find him on Twitter if you search @maikelfranco7....

If the second half of the Grapefruit League schedule is about dialing it up and playing cleaner, better baseball, the Orioles got the memo on Monday at Ed Smith Stadium. They went 3-10-1 in the first half of the spring, but began the second-half 1-0 with their best game to this point under the Florida sun. There was a spring training-high 12 runs scored. They hit three homers after going eight games without one. There was some solid defense for the second game in a row. And some pitching...

Rio Ruiz had something to say this afternoon before hopping on his media Zoom call. He knows about the club's pending move for free agent third baseman Maikel Franco and how it impacts him. He knows that missing more than a week with an illness and being 1-for-12 before today's game against the Pirates are sabotaging his attempts to make the club and keep his position. Ruiz isn't wearing blinders. He wore the look today of a much better version of himself. Ruiz made a diving stop and throw...

It's only spring training, so all the usual caveats must apply. These games don't count. Different players take different approaches when they're on the field. Objectives aren't the same on March 15 as they will be on April 1. Now, having gotten all that out of the way, this needs to be said: Max Scherzer looks absolutely dialed in right now. With a dominant, four-inning performance today during a 4-2 loss to the Cardinals in Jupiter, Fla., Scherzer built off his two previous exhibition...

The Orioles began the second half of their 28-game spring training schedule today. And they'll look to see if some of their starting pitchers begin to dial it up with some better outings than the first half of the games delivered. Right-hander Matt Harvey, the former Met who pitched to an 11.57 ERA over 11 2/3 innings with Kansas City last summer, had a mixed bag of an outing this afternoon. He allowed runs twice, but also put together a pair of 1-2-3 innings against Pittsburgh at Ed Smith...

An examination of Orioles reliever Hunter Harvey confirmed that he has a strained oblique, an injury suffered after throwing one pitch in Friday's game against the Phillies. Manager Brandon Hyde couldn't provide a timeline for Harvey's recovery, of course, but the former first-round pick is expected to go on the injured list. "He's going to miss some time," Hyde said in his Zoom call with the media. "How much time, we're not sure, just because obliques are tricky. But it's an injury....