Wednesday brought a little bit of everything for the Nationals’ system: a one-run loss in Rochester, a few more moving parts on the rehab front, and the first look at Washington’s Arizona Fall League group.
Rochester dropped a wild one to Buffalo, 9-8, after building a 2-0 lead and watching it slip away. Connelly Early took the loss in his MLB rehab outing, going 1-plus inning and allowing three runs on two hits and two walks while striking out two. Gray followed with a clean inning, working around one walk and striking out one.
The Red Wings did their part at the plate. Riley Adams went 3-for-4 with a walk, a double, three runs scored and three RBI.
Sam Petersen matched him with a 3-for-4 day, adding a walk, three RBI, a stolen base and three runs. Cayden Wallace filled up the box score too, reaching on a walk and a single, adding a double, an RBI, two runs and a steal.
Trey Lipscomb also went deep, launching his 32nd home run.
The pitching story, though, turned ugly behind Early. Jack Cebert allowed all three of his inherited runners to score and gave up four runs of his own over four and a third innings. Eddie Yean was tagged for the last two runs, making it four straight outings in which he has failed to keep a run from scoring.
Even with the loss, Rochester remains tied with Indianapolis for the International League lead in the second half, with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre one game back. The Red Wings still hold the tiebreakers over both clubs, though the edge over Indianapolis is razor-thin at 12-9 in the last 21 meetings, compared with 11-10.
The only roster move listed was Early’s transfer from Harrisburg for MLB rehab.
Elsewhere, Major League Baseball released the Arizona Fall League rosters, and six Nationals were assigned to the Salt River Rafters: outfielder Teo Banks, left-handers Noah Dean and Nolan Hughes, utility player Jorgelys Mota, and right-handers R.J. Sales and Jarlin Susana.
It’s a notably small group for Washington, and the mix raises questions. The four pitchers all logged barely any work in 2026, while Mota appeared in just 36 games, which makes the assignment easy enough to explain as a way to get more innings and at-bats.
Banks, on the other hand, looks more like extra outfield depth than a player whose late-season surge changed the organization’s thinking. The front office, at least for now, appears to have already made its call on the Rule 5 Draft, if it happens at all.
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