Spring training for the Washington Nationals in 2025 has been a bit of a mixed bag. While the team does have a 10-9 record heading into action on Saturday, individual performances have been all over the place. We saw guys like CJ Abrams and Keibert Ruiz get off to slow starts, but a nice couple of performances in a row for them makes their overall numbers look great.
Guys like Nathaniel Lowe and Riley Adams have gotten off to slow starts and have not quite yet shaken off all the rust of the offseason, but their roster spots appear to be safe at this time. However, who are 2 Nationals that have seemingly played their way on to the Opening Day roster, and 2 who have played their way off? Here were my takes.
2 Nationals who played their way onto the Opening Day roster
Andrés Chaparro
Coming into Grapefruit League play, there might not have really been another player who potentially had as much to gain as Andrés Chaparro. After being acquired for Dylan Floro in a buzzer-beating trade deadline deal last year, he showed some flashes in the big leagues and was in line to compete for a bench spot coming into 2025.
Despite competing with his good friend Juan Yepez, who many believe had a leg up on the race for one of the final bench spots due to his big league experience, it is Chaparro who is looking more likely to win the competition. With a .387/.424/.602 slash line with 1 homer and 5 RBIs in 31 at-bats compared to Yepez' .206/.250/.235 slash line with no homers and 4 RBIs in 34 at-bats, it is clear Chaparro should win the bench spot at this time, despite completely flying under the radar for what feels like the entirety of spring training.
** Editor's note: Chaparro suffered an oblique injury during batting practice on Friday that will see him begin the 2025 season on the IL, with a 2-4 week recovery estimated. **
Alex Call
While Alex Call might not be a name that particularly surprises anyone when it comes to him making the Opening Day roster, there were many people who believed he would not be on it before camp began. He figured to be in a competition with Stone Garrett for the 4th outfielder spot, but after Garrett was DFA'd a couple weeks ago, it became clear that Call was going to be the man for the role, likely due to his ability to play all 3 outfield spots, his upside on the basepaths and in the field, as well as his very underrated plate discipline.
Despite Robert Hassell III being the best player in Nats camp in 2025, it remains unlikely that he makes the Opening Day roster simply because of his lack of experience in AAA, where he wasn't particularly great to end last season. He would have been my selection for this spot, but after James Wood lit up 2024 spring training and didn't get the call until the summer, I expect the same fate for Bobby Barrels.
2 Nationals who played their way off the 2025 Opening Day roster
DJ Herz
Spring training for DJ Herz has not gone according to plan. Coming into camp, he was predicted by many, myself included, to be part of the Nationals' Opening Day rotation due to his tremendous upside and pure stuff, but it appears as if we are going to have to wait to see the young lefty back in the big leagues in 2025. Outside of his own subpar performance, the steadiness of Mitchell Parker, Trevor Williams, and Michael Soroka has made the decision a lot easier for setting the rotation behind MacKenzie Gore and Jake Irvin.
He has made 4 uninspiring appearances now, and has a 6.52 ERA and 1.97 WHIP to go along with the fact that he has only 4 strikeouts in 9.2 innings. Outside of Chaparro, who should play a much lesser role, nobody had more to gain than Herz did in camp this year, and he has failed to seize the opportunity. I am disappointed in his output thus far, but also believe some more seasoning and time in AAA to work on his mechanics would do him well.
Shinnosuke Ogasawara
The other name on this list is another lefty, and someone I wrote about just the other day. When the Nationals inked Japanese lefty Shinnosuke Ogasawara in the offseason, it seemed like a fun and interesting move for a club that barely ventures into that market, but it's totally fair to say he has been underwhelming thus far. While I am sure he will appear in the big leagues at some point in 2025, I do not foresee him making the team on Opening Day.
In 4 games he has a 7.56 ERA and 2.52 WHIP, and has only a 5:6 BB:K ratio. His off-speed stuff is very solid, but his heater tops out just a tick or two above 90 MPH, and he is definitely not a power pitcher by any means. His fit on the team in 2025 was always going to be curious, and I still believe he could be an effective reliever for the club, but I would be shocked if he made the team to begin the season. This is by no means me giving up on him, but he needs to prove that he deserves the opportunity to be on the field for the Nationals.
Who did I miss on this list? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.