The Washington Nationals have had an unsuccessful season; it's no secret. There could be a few players currently on the roster who are not part of the future ownership's plans. Who could some of those players be? It's hard to speculate due to the uncertainty surrounding the next President of Baseball Operations. What we can talk about is the players who might not make it to the end of the season. Here are three Nats' players whose opportunities at the Major League level could come to an end soon.
Mitchell Parker
Mitchell Parker, a 25-year-old left-handed pitcher, has regressed mightily since the beginning of the season. In April of '25, Parker recorded a 3.19 ERA across 31.0 innings pitched with a 1.06 WHIP. Fast forward to August '25, his ERA is at 5.83 with a 1.50 WHIP in 129.2 innings. It's hard to watch the Nats trot Parker out there every fifth day. In 54 career starts, the former fifth-round pick has a 5.00 ERA with a 1.39 WHIP. Specifically in Parker's last seven starts, his ERA is 9.19 with a 1.86 WHIP. It's not often you see a pitcher's statistics in that range.
How do the Nats continue to keep Mitchell Parker in the rotation? Simply put, there's nobody to replace him with. The Shinnosuke Ogasawara experiment has worked more efficiently in the bullpen, and Cade Cavalli was recently called up as a reinforcement from AAA. The Nats don't have the pitching depth to replace Parker.
Jacob Young
I love defense as much as the next person, but the Jacob Young experiment has to end for the Nats. It's getting tiresome watching a player like Young, who has a career .620 OPS in 279 games, take at-bats over top prospects for the Nats. To his credit, Young plays an elite center field that is tough to replicate and brings legitimate value to the team. On the contrary, Young's offensive limitations do not outweigh his defensive value. In 841 career at-bats, Young has hit three home runs. Prospect Daylen Lile has hit three home runs in 205 at-bats, and Robert Hassell III has two in 111 at-bats. While home runs aren't the be-all and end-all, it's not hard to determine that Lile and Hassell III have more value than Young.
There's no answer as to why Young is consistently in the lineup. He does bring defensive value and possesses elite-caliber speed. While he has speed, he's been a below-average baserunner this season. Young is 13/23 on stolen base attempts this season, extremely poor for a player with his speed. It doesn't seem likely that Young will be removed from the roster this season, but for next season, he hasn't guaranteed himself a spot.
Orlando Ribalta
While Orlando Ribalta has a 98 MPH fastball at his disposal, it hasn't translated to any success with the Nats. This season, Orlando has a 6.28 ERA in 14.1 innings. While he has 14 strikeouts, he has a 1.47 ERA and has struggled to stay healthy. He's also given up three home runs and walked eight batters. There are better options at the AAA level for the Nats, including Julian Fernandez, whom the Nats recently claimed off waivers from the Dodgers. Fernandez, 29 years old, has a 3.05 ERA with a 1.29 WHIP in 41.1 innings pitched in AAA. He's struck out 49 batters and walked just 15. Expect a roster move for Fernandez in the coming weeks for the Nats.