With the Nationals fading out of the postseason race, September has become a month of auditions. Washington is taking a long look at players who might earn a more permanent role next season, and that makes the guys who have already had plenty of chances stand out even more.
There’s been some good in the shuffle since the trade deadline, but there’s also been a fair amount of frustration. Fans want upside.
They want players who can turn heads. They do not want more of the same from a lineup spot or a bullpen arm that hasn’t held up.
Two names in particular fit that bill.
INF José Tena has been one of only two Nationals with a negative offense war, along with Abimelec Ortiz. Tena has made 55 appearances at designated hitter this season, but the production just hasn’t matched the role. He has seven home runs in 277 plate appearances, and his .307 on-base percentage sits below league average.
That’s the core problem. A designated hitter is supposed to bring impact at the plate, and Tena hasn’t delivered much of it.
He hasn’t provided the power, the average, or the ability to get on base that a team needs from that spot. Washington doesn’t need a mirror image of Kyle Schwarber, Shohei Ohtani, or Yordan Alvarez, but it does need more than what Tena has given.
If the Nationals want to be competitive next season, they can do better at DH.
RHP Yovanny Cruz is a different case. When Washington picked him up from the Yankees in the Luis Garcia Jr. trade, he brought some life to the bullpen. The 27-year-old Dominican right-hander has real stuff, with strong movement on his slider, sinker, and split-finger pitches, plus 99% percentile fastball velocity.
There was some promise early, too. In four games with the Yankees after his MLB debut, Cruz posted a 1.69 ERA over five innings.
Since joining Washington, though, the numbers have gone the other way fast. In seven appearances with the Nationals, his ERA has climbed to 9.00, and he’s averaging 10 walks, 16 hits, and just under two home runs per nine.
That doesn’t mean Washington should give up on him altogether. The talent is still there. But he should not be counted on for steady major league innings next season until he shows he can keep runners off base and bring that ERA down to something workable.
For now, the Nationals can at least use the rest of September to sort through what they have. Will Dion looks good, James Wood is back, and some of the younger players are starting to heat up. But not everyone who’s been around this season needs to be around next year.
In Other News...
Nationals Face A Winter Debate Their Young Lineup Just Created
James Woods reaction to the Nationals trade-deadline selloff landed as a reminder of where this rebuild stands now: firmly in the long view, with young players increasingly driving the conversation. Washington has built real offensive depth, with several promising bats giving the lineup a more stable foundation than it had a year ago. Even with the deadline moves clearing the way for a slower climb, the clubs message has stayed consistent under Paul Toboni - this is about constructing something sustainable, not forcing a shortcut back into the race.
The harder part of that vision is what comes next, because young talent can make the future look brighter without solving every current problem. The Nationals know the bullpen still remains an issue, which is why the winter figures to bring a different kind of debate than the one they had at the deadline. With the lineup now showing signs of life and the front office committed to patience, the question is how aggressively Washington should try to support the core it has already started to assemble. [Read more 🡒]
Nationals Suddenly Face A Tough Call On Connelly Early
A rainout has left the Nationals sorting through the next step for Connelly Early, whose scheduled Double-A outing disappeared before he could get a real test in game action. Washington wants him to have some kind of mound work before the end of the season, and the options now on the table are a stop in Rochester or a live session in D.C. as the club tries to keep his buildup moving.
The timing is what makes this tricky. Early would need to come off the injured list and get onto the mound quickly if the Nationals want him available before the schedule runs out, and there is not much margin for error with the season winding down. For a team still trying to map out its late-season pitching picture, a missed start has turned into a small but meaningful decision about how soon Early might be ready for the next level. [Read more 🡒]
Nationals Prospects Are Starting To Force A Bigger Conversation
Rochesters comeback win over Scranton/Wilkes-Barre offered another reminder that the Nationals upper minors are starting to push more names into the conversation. The Red Wings dug out of a 6-0 hole and finished off a 7-6 victory, with Riley Adams coming through on the go-ahead RBI single and Chandler Champlain working the start while giving up four runs on six hits over four innings.
Harrisburg added to the buzz with a 9-3 win over New Hampshire, powered by four home runs and strong showings from Jarlin Susana and Luke Young. Between the results in Triple-A and Double-A, theres a growing sense that Washington has more depth moving through the system than it did a year ago, even if the next wave is still sorting out exactly who will force the clubs hand first. [Read more 🡒]