Washington

Nationals

Cavalli finished with one strikeout and allowed just one baserunner, requiring an efficient 24 pitches (16 strikes) to complete two frames in his spring debut. The 27-year-old former top pitching prospect returned for 10 starts late last season in the big leagues and appears to have a spot locked up in Washington’s rotation.

Mervis made the most of his opportunity off the bench, drawing a walk, swiping a base, and later scorching a game-tying two-run double to right-center in the eighth inning. The 27-year-old former top first-base prospect never found sustained footing in a pair of brief stints with the Cubs and struggled to a .175 average with seven homers over 42 games for the Marlins last season. A strong spring could put him in the mix for a spot on Washington’s Opening Day roster, but from a fantasy standpoint, the bar is steep – especially in an era where the first-base pool is deeper than it used to be.

If the Nationals were looking to compete, they ought to have tried upgrading at third base over the winter. As is, though, there’s no harm in giving House another opportunity. Plate discipline is a problem, but his exit velocity numbers as a rookie were a fair amount better than his .234/.252/.322 line suggests. His homers today were hit 415 and 398 feet.

The Marlins failed to muster any hard contact against Parker, who is having to battle for a rotation spot after posting a 5.68 ERA and a poor 14.2 percent strikeout rate as a sophomore. The addition of Miles Mikolas to near-certainties Cade Cavalli and Brad Lord has left the Nationals with Josiah Gray, Foster Griffin, Jake Irvin and Parker battling for two rotation spots, and the assumption is that Gray will have one if he gets through camp healthy. All but Mikolas do have options, though.

Lipscomb, who broke out at this time two years ago, is in Nationals camp as a non-roster player after clearing waivers back in November. The Nationals don’t have an established third baseman and might slide Luis García Jr. from second to first, so there’s opportunity for Lipscomb to come away with a job with a big March. Last year’s .249/.305/.392 line in Triple-A doesn’t bode well, however.

After an incredible Freshman campaign, Petry’s numbers got a little worse each season at South Carolina; his OPS went from 1.204 in 2023 to 1.110 in 2024 to 1.027 last year. Everyone expects him to keep hitting for power, but batting average is going to be a question mark, and though he’s primarily an outfielder for now, first base would likely suit him better. He should split 2026 between Low-A and High-A.

The run scored in the second because Eder failed to cover first on a hot shot bobbled by Abimelec Ortiz. Eder also caught a break in the first, when Zach Cole was thrown out trying to tag up from second on a fly to right. On the mound, though, Eder looked pretty good today. He topped out at 96.4 mph and averaged 94.1 mph with his fastball, which was up one mph from last year. He’s not a part of the Nationals’ projected rotation, but there should be plenty of opportunity if he gets off to a nice start.

Jacob Young is also day-to-day with right wrist soreness after being hit by a pitch earlier this week. It doesn’t sound like a serious concern for either at this early stage of spring training but they’re both out of the Nationals lineups for Saturday’s split-squad contests.

Crews has unexpectedly become an afterthought for fantasy purposes after missing most of last season with an oblique injury. The 23-year-old was universally-regarded as one of the top prospects in baseball entering last year before struggling to a .208/.280/.352 slash line with 10 homers and 17 steals in just 85 games. He’s far too talented from an all-around ability standpoint to write off entirely and is worthy of a mid-round pick in all fantasy drafts this spring. He’s currently being selected 164th overall, on average, in NFBC drafts since the start of February.

The 32-year-old hurler will earn $1.75 million if he makes the Nationals’ roster and has the ability to earn an additional $1.25 million in incentives. Smith missed the entire 2025 campaign while recovering from Tommy John surgery but is now fully recovered and ready to roll for the start of spring training.