The Nationals are rolling into Sunday’s series finale against the Reds with a fresh arm in the bullpen mix.
Washington announced that right-hander Jake Bird has been promoted to the major league roster, with left-hander Carson Palmquist optioned to Triple-A Rochester after Saturday’s game. The move comes after the Nationals snapped out of a rough skid by winning the first two games of the weekend series against Cincinnati, setting up a chance at a sweep.
Bird arrives as one of the key pieces in the return package from the New York Yankees in the Luis Garcia Jr. trade. The Nationals targeted him for a reason: he’s an established big league reliever with 227 career MLB appearances and two additional seasons of club control after the 2026 campaign.
The results have not matched that profile lately. Bird was hit hard after being dealt to the Yankees ahead of the 2025 trade deadline, giving up six earned runs in two innings over three outings to close that season. This year, he posted a 5.93 ERA in 36 appearances, a major factor in why New York was willing to move him in the Garcia deal.
Still, the raw stuff has remained intriguing. Even with the shaky run prevention numbers, Bird logged Stuff+ marks of 116 in 2025 and 111 in 2026.
Washington is clearly betting it can clean up the problems that have dragged him down, mainly the walks and the hard contact. If that happens, Bird has a chance to become a meaningful bullpen piece for the stretch run.
Since his major league debut in 2022, he has been above average in ERA+ in both 2023 and 2024, and he was on that track again in 2025 before the trade. That’s especially notable considering those seasons came with the Colorado Rockies.
For now, the hope is simple: Bird can arrive and give the Nationals an immediate lift out of the bullpen. Whether that happens right away is the part that still has to play out.
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In his first game back, Herz worked one inning for Fredericksburg and struck out three batters, a brief but useful reminder of why Washington has remained interested in his recovery. Manager Blake Butera said the organization will handle Herz carefully from here, with the expectation that he could return before the end of the season if the next steps go as planned. [Read more 🡒]