We are now over a month into the 2025 season and that has given ample time to gauge how players have been performing. There are some standouts like James Wood, CJ Abrams, and MacKenzie Gore, who are all having excellent starts to their seasons and looking as advertised when the Nationals acquired them in 2022. There are some unsung heroes, too; ones that deserve more playing time. However, with good always comes bad, of which there has been plenty. There's nothing else to say about the bullpen at this point; it's historically awful. Offensively, there are some massive holes in the lineup that are being taken up by players who need to either be benched or released. Here are two players who need to see the field more and two who shouldn't see the field very often.
2 Nationals who deserve more playing time:
Alex Call - OF
Alex Call has been one of the most consistent bats for the Nationals across the past season and a half. Call only played in 30 games in 2024 due to injuries, but he was very productive, recording 1.2 fWAR and a 167 wRC+ to go along with a slash line of .343/.425/.525. He has been similarly productive this season, putting up 0.3 fWAR, a 153 wRC+ and a slashline of .348/.455/.435 in 25 games.
It seems that every time Call is in the lineup, he finds a way to get on base, whether it be via a hit or a walk (18% BB%). He can play all three outfield positions and even though he doesn't play great defense, he has more than earned an everyday role on the team.
Brad Lord - SP
Everyone knows Brad Lord's story at this point; an 18th-round pick in 2022 out of USF who flew through the Nationals minor-league system last season and also worked at Home Depot during the offseason. He made the Opening Day roster and was thrust into the rotation after Mike Soroka was placed on the IL.
In his 6 starts while Soroka was hurt, Lord recorded 0.4 fWAR, a 4.44 ERA and a 3.73 FIP in 26.1 innings pitched. He didn't walk many batters (9 BBs of 111 batters faced) and allowed just 2 home runs. The Nationals announced that Lord would be moving back to the bullpen since Soroka has returned from injury, but he has done more than enough to deserve a spot in the rotation and will hopefully get another chance.
2 Nationals who deserve less playing time:
Josh Bell - DH
Josh Bell has been the worst hitter in the entire league in 2025 and that is not an exaggeration. He has -0.8 fWAR (tied for 2nd-worst), a 45 wRC+ (tied for 5th-worst), a .134 batting average (worst), and a .224 OBP (2nd-worst). The response this gets is that Bell has always been a slow starter throughout his career. That is true to some extent, but it has never been anywhere close to this bad.
Outside of 2021 (he had Covid at the start of the season), the worst wRC+ during March/April of his career was 57 in 2024 and even that year he wasn't nearly as bad as he has been in 2025. As sad as it is to say, it's time the Nationals released Josh Bell and give others a chance to prove themselves.
Keibert Ruiz - C
This needs to be prefaced by saying that Keibert Ruiz has had a very nice start to the 2025 season and has having a career year thus far. The issue with Keibert playing so much is the physical toll playing catcher takes. As of May 7th, Ruiz has started more games at catcher than anyone else in the league with 32. Of the Nationals 39 games, Ruiz has caught 32 of them and DHed in 1.
Playing this often as a catcher is very physically-demanding and it has clearly taken a toll on Ruiz's offense. In his last 14 games, Ruiz has had just one XBH and a 69 OPS+. For whatever reason, Ruiz continues to be in the lineup almost nightly, and for his own sake, he needs to get a few more days off.