The Washington Nationals were just swept at the hands of their National League East rival Miami Marlins in surprising fashion. Following a month of May in which the organization had one of their best months in years, the Nationals are now winless in the month of June as of now.
With this series hopefully in the rearview mirror, there are still some weak links the Nationals need to examine, and coincidentally, most of their issues are on the infield. While CJ Abrams continues to perform like one of the best players in baseball so far this season, his teammates around the infield dirt have given him almost no help...but which ones specifically?
José Tena
A player who has been in the Nationals' organization for a few years now, it's beginning to look like time has run its course on José Tena's tenure with the club. After almost not making the team coming out of spring training, Tena began this season as part of a rotation between DH and third base, as Blake Butera loves to shuffle around his lineups.
However, with just a .216/.272/.371 slash line, good for just a .643 OPS, Tena is not really offering much at the plate. Combine that with the fact that he is striking out at a 32.3% clip compared to just a 6.5% BB rate, and you can start to see why he can't continue to consistently get at-bats on this team. He likely is not a long-term fit, and it's getting harder to see his value as the season wears on.
Jorbit Vivas
Truthfully, there might not be a single player in the major leagues you want to see at the plate with runners in scoring position than Jorbit Vivas. The 25-year-old is now an absurd 0/25 with RISP so far in 2026, almost an impossible stat to be performing this terribly in. Out of all of Paul Toboni's early moves, this one stands far and away as his worst acquisition so far.
Vivas has just a .232/.318/.313 slash line, good for a .631 OPS, and he doesn't offer much in the way of stolen bases or in the field, as his defense is average at best. Taking one look at his Baseball Savant page inspires almost zero confidence that he will get any better, and at this point he is similar to Tena in that he just can't continue to take consistent at-bats for a team trying to win games.
Nasim Nuñez
The final name we need to talk about is Nasim Nuñez. His fit is complicated as his defense at second base has been solid, although not elite as it is made out to be. Taking one look at his Savant page shows his defense has been worth just 1 OAA, compared to someone like Jacob Young who is already at 9 OAA, showcasing truly elite defense.
Nuñez is only slashing .191/.284/.214, and has a paltry OPS of .498 to this point. His 22 stolen bases leads the league, but he simply does not hit enough to fully use his wheels. Truly, Nuñez profiles as a perfect backup infielder and pinch runner or late-game defensive replacement, but his bat will never be good enough to play every day.
Who do you want to be replaced on this current Nationals team? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.
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