Ben Braymer has been with the Nationals longer than you might think. An 18th-round draft pick out of Auburn University in 2016, the 26-year-old left-hander is entering his sixth season in the organization. Considering his age, the year he was drafted (the same as Carter Kieboom and former Nats prospects Dane Dunning and Jesús Luzardo) and his progression through the minor league system, you might be surprised even still that Braymer finished 2020 as just the Nationals' No. 22 ranked...

The injury news in Orioles camp seems to be improving, with one notable exception. Pitcher Alexander Wells reported to the complex with a sore oblique, similar to his ailment last spring, but he's able to play catch as he inches closer to his first game. Wells was placed on the 40-man roster to protect him in the Rule 5 draft. He was throwing and facing hitters in Australia before traveling to the United States. The Orioles are intrigued by Wells' control - he's averaged only 1.4 walks per...

None of the Nationals' projected late-inning relievers have made their spring debuts yet. Mostly, that's by design as the club slowly builds them up during the first two weeks of camp. One of them, however, has been held back not by design but by injury. Tanner Rainey, the most promising young arm in the Nats' relief corps, has been dealing with what manager Davey Martinez termed a "minor muscle strain" near his right collarbone. The right-hander was shut down for several days but has...

There are some notable names making the 45-minute trip from West Palm Beach, Fla., to Port St. Lucie today for the Nationals' exhibition game against the Mets. Ryan Zimmerman, Kyle Schwarber and Carter Kieboom are all in the lineup. So is Yan Gomes, making his spring debut behind the plate. And so is Victor Robles, whose left arm appears to be fine one day after he was hit by a pitch. (Stop us if you've heard that one before.) But the most intriguing names in today's game might well be a...

Ryan McKenna is starting in left field today as the Orioles host the Red Sox. Cedric Mullins is back in center field and atop the order, alternating with Austin Hays. Yusniel Diaz gets his first start in right field after twice playing left field. Trey Mancini is the first baseman. Rylan Bannon is at third base instead of Rio Ruiz. For the Orioles Cedric Mullins CF Trey Mancini 1B Anthony Santander DH Pedro Severino C Freddy Galvis SS Yusniel Diaz RF Yolmer Sánchez 2B Rylan Bannon 3B Ryan...

Kyle Schwarber had only been a National for a handful of days. It was mid-January, and the former Cubs left fielder was just starting to chat with his new hitting coach, Kevin Long. The two talked about Schwarber's struggles last season and the state of his swing, and Long mentioned that he could come visit him at his offseason home in Tampa and work one-on-one in person. "Let's go!" Schwarber told him. "I'm ready." "All right," Long replied. "I'll be there in three days." So it was...

The Orioles knew that the Triple-A season could be pushed back at least a month, along with the other affiliates in baseball. The ESPN.com report Wednesday night didn't really blindside anyone in the organization. Only the timing enabled it to sneak up on some people. They were told that it could be announced by mid-March, but the news came a little bit earlier than that. How the Orioles deal with the latest changes due to COVID-19 and the need for more vaccinations is a work in progress....

The Orioles first had discussions with outfielder Cedric Mullins about giving up switch-hitting when Buck Showalter was their manager. Mullins said he first discussed the prospect of batting only left-handed several years ago. "He said basically straight up if I wasn't able to figure out my right side, that I'd go left on left," said Mullins. "I was in agreement with him. I felt like he was going to make the best choice for my career and that I was going to work my butt off to do what I...

The Nationals have been very clear about how they will utilize their top pitching prospects. Guys like Jackson Rutledge and Cade Cavalli project to be front-line starters, and general manager Mike Rizzo has confirmed that's the path the organization has set them on. But the futures of some mid-level prospects aren't as certain. Guys like Seth Romero and Ben Braymer have pitched both as starters and relievers throughout their careers, dating back to their time in college and continuing through...

For the first time this spring, manager Davey Martinez wrote out a lineup card featuring his six best players in the order he appears to prefer. And for the first time, the Nationals' two biggest offensive additions of the winter showed off the power that could make this such a potent and deep lineup. That Josh Bell and Kyle Schwarber's home runs were each solo shots prevented the Nats from keeping pace with a Marlins lineup that clubbed out six early runs before hanging on for an 8-5 victory...