The Washington Nationals are currently going through one of the toughest parts of spring training, as they are having to make some hard decisions about who will be making the trip north along with the big league club. Some guys are likely to be considered locks, but for some, their ultimate fates might be considered a surprise.
One of those guys that was a surprise miss was catcher Harry Ford, who was demoted to AAA Rochester yesterday among a few other cuts from big league camp. However, another wave of cuts and demotions took place on Thursday morning, and a couple of familiar faces were among those who will not be part of the Opening Day roster.
Throughout spring training, the Nationals' starting rotation has been pretty great, but with only 5 total spots and 4 of them already being locked up after the team's signing of Zack Littell earlier this month, spots became thin for the rest of the guys trying to make the team.
Mitchell Parker was a casualty last week, and now the team has decided to give the same fate to their 2024 Opening Day starter, Josiah Gray. As you might remember, Gray has not pitched in the majors since 2024, and he has been looking to get back to the big leagues after some injury struggles. While he made his return to a mound a couple weeks ago, he was still not deemed ready for big league action.
Gray will begin this season in AAA Rochester, as he will look to continue to build up his workload and pitch count before being counted on to be a contributor at the big league level. Should an injury occur to the projected Nationals' rotation of Cade Cavalli, Zack Littell, Foster Griffin, Miles Mikolas, or Jake Irvin, you would have to imagine Gray would be on a short list.
The other demotion was Robert Hassell III, who fell behind James Wood, Dylan Crews, Daylen Lile, and Jacob Young, who will likely be the 4 outfielders that make the Opening Day roster. Hassell III will definitely be one of the first guys that will be called up for an injury, and should Dylan Crews' struggles persist into the regular season, perhaps we see him even earlier.
What do you think of the Nationals' decisions to demote Josiah Gray and Robert Hassell III? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.