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Nationals' Gus Varland: Hangs on for four-out save
Rotowire
Varland secured the save Thursday against the Mets, allowing no runs on one hit and no walks in 1.1 innings. He struck out one.
The Nationals trusted the right-hander to record the final four outs Thursday, and Varland delivered despite letting the potential tying run to reach base. Primary closer Clayton Beeter (forearm) will miss at least one more week on the injured list, seemingly leaving the ninth-inning gig all to Varland for now. Varland is perhaps making a case for more save chances even when Beeter returns, posting a 2.84 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 14:3 K:BB over 12.2 innings.
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Nationals' Miles Mikolas: Another short outing in no-decision
Rotowire
Mikolas didn't factor into the decision Thursday against the Mets, allowing three runs on three hits and one walk in four innings. He struck out three.
The 37-year-old right-hander continues to struggle to provide the Nationals with length. Thursday marked his sixth consecutive appearance with fewer than five innings, and Mikolas has still been unable to fan more than four in any of his first seven outings. He has a hideous 8.23 ERA, 1.72 WHIP and 19:11 K:BB over 27.1 frames, so Mikolas doesn't shape up as a recommended fantasy option in his next scheduled outing against the Twins.
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Nationals' Keibert Ruiz: Taking seat in favor of Millas
Rotowire
Ruiz is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Mets.
Ruiz will hit the bench for the fourth time in six games while the Nationals go with Drew Millas behind the dish. Though the playing time has been tilting in Millas' favor of late, Ruiz has been the better producer at the plate by a narrow margin. Ruiz has turned in a .516 OPS over 58 plate appearances, while Millas has provided a .422 OPS across 55 plate appearances.
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Nationals' Brady House: Out of Thursday's lineup
Rotowire
House is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Mets.
House smacked a grand slam in Wednesday's win over the Mets, but he'll begin Thursday's contest on the bench. Jorbit Vivas will handle third base and Jose Tena will slot in at designated hitter for the Nationals in Thursday's rubber match.
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Nationals' Ethan Petry: Raking to begin season
Rotowire
Petry is slashing .333/.457/.507 with four doubles, three home runs, three stolen bases, 13 runs and 16 RBI over 19 games for High-A Wilmington.
A second-round pick in the 2025 First-Year Player Draft out of South Carolina, Petry put together a solid pro debut last season but has taken another step forward in 2026. The 22-year-old has split his time between right field and first base this season, and the latter position might offer a clearer path to the majors in the Nationals' organization if he continues to hit the cover off the ball. Petry is still at least a couple years away from a potential MLB debut, but he could be poised to make a big leap up prospect lists.
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Nationals' CJ Abrams: On base four times in rout
Rotowire
Abrams went 3-for-4 with a walk, a double and two RBI in Wednesday's win over the Mets.
The shortstop was one of four Nationals with multiple hits, and one of five with multiple RBI, in a 14-2 rout of their NL East rivals. Abrams had cooled down prior to Wednesday's performance, going 3-for-35 over his previous 10 games, but on the season he's still slashing .286/.394/.524 with seven homers, five steals, 15 runs and 23 RBI while hitting in the heart of the order for Washington.
Wood went 2-for-5 with a double, three RBI, three runs scored and a walk in Wednesday's 14-2 win over the Mets.
Wood matched a season high in RBI on Wednesday, picking up multiple hits for the seventh time this year. The star outfielder has reached base safely in eight consecutive games, ripping four extra-base hits during that stretch. Overall this season, Wood is slashing .244/.404/.555 with 10 home runs, seven doubles, 24 RBI and five stolen bases across 151 plate appearances.
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Nationals' Curtis Mead: Racks up career-high four hits
Rotowire
Mead went 4-for-5 with a home run, a double, two RBI and four runs scored in Wednesday's 14-2 win over the Mets.
Mead couldn't be stopped Wednesday, crossing the plate a season-high four times while also submitting his first career four-hit attack. The infielder has gone deep three times in his past seven outings, though he was hitless in the other four contests. Overall, Mead is batting .226 with four homers, four doubles, seven walks and 12 RBI through 62 at-bats.
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Nationals' Brady House: Wallops first career grand slam
Rotowire
House went 1-for-5 with a grand slam and a walk in Wednesday's 14-2 win over the Mets.
House belted his first career grand slam en route to recording a season-high four RBI on Wednesday. Though he has no multi-hit efforts since April 14, House has hit safely in eight of his last 10 games. Through 111 at-bats overall, the infielder is batting just .225 with four homers, four doubles and 14 RBI.
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Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Fans 10 in first win
Rotowire
Cavalli (1-1) tallied the win Wednesday against the Mets, allowing two runs on eight hits and two walks in six innings. He struck out 10.
Although Cavalli gave up a season-high eight hits and served up his first home run of the year, he still put forth perhaps his most impressive showing of 2026 thus far. The right-hander matched a season high in innings and punchouts, generating 18 whiffs in his second quality start of the year. Cavalli has struggled to work deep into starts consistently, logging only 30.2 innings covering seven outings while posting a shaky 1.66 WHIP, but he does have a 3.82 ERA and a strong 38:14 K:BB ahead of his next matchup versus the Twins.
Tena is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Mets.
The left-handed-hitting Tena will hit the bench for the fifth game in a row, though the Nationals have faced four left-handed starters during that stretch. Even so, Tena looks like he might have to settle for a part-time role against right-handed pitching, with Jorbit Vivas having built a case for more opportunities.
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Nationals' Luis Garcia: Resting up Wednesday
Rotowire
Garcia is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Mets.
Garcia will head to the bench as the Nationals load up the lineup with right-handed bats to counter Mets southpaw David Peterson. Curtis Mead will fill in for Garcia at first base and will bat second.
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Nationals' Drew Millas: Taking seat Wednesday
Rotowire
Millas is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Mets.
Millas had started in three of the previous four games, but he'll give way to Keibert Ruiz on Wednesday. The playing time between the two backstops has been split fairly evenly throughout the season, with Ruiz drawing 16 starts to Millas' 15.
Nationals' Zack Littell: Hammered for eight runs in loss
Rotowire
Littell (0-4) took the loss Tuesday against the Mets, surrendering eight runs (four earned) on five hits and three walks with one strikeout across 3.2 innings.
Littell has now been tagged for eight runs in each of his last three starts and has given up an astonishing 25 earned runs and 13 homers across 28.2 innings this season. Both of those numbers are the most in the league. It's fair to wonder how much longer Washington will trot out the right-hander to make starts. He gave up long balls to Bo Bichette and Juan Soto on Tuesday and now owns a hideous 7.85 ERA, 1.74 WHIP and 16:11 K:BB across six appearances. His 9.06 FIP and 7.96 xERA suggest Littell has somehow pitched even worse than his numbers would suggest.
Beeter (forearm) had an MRI come back clean and was cleared to resume throwing Tuesday, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.
The right-hander landed on the injured list Sunday due to right forearm soreness, but the quick return to throwing should allow him to avoid a lengthy stay on the shelf. Beeter will be eligible to be reinstated May 8 in Miami, and it's possible he'll be able to return on or shortly after that date.
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