The wait is finally over. On the day this article is uploaded to our website, the Washington Nationals will officially be slated to play baseball for the first time since September 28, 2025. A ton has changed since that final game in Washington, and fans will now get our first chance to check out the 2026 squad.
Part of the reason why the club looks so different coming into this season is because of a lot of turnover on the player personnel side, and it will be interesting to see which players end up playing together on Saturday. The Nationals have a split-squad doubleheader against both the Houston Astros and St. Louis Cardinals, and the team will look to knock off the cobwebs and rust.
We can only hope that the Nationals, specifically a lot of their youngsters and newer trade acquisitions, can get off to a hot start and create some legitimate momentum heading into this new season. One relatively new acquisition who has only been in the organization since last August was named one of the starters for Saturday's action, according to Mark Zuckerman.
Lefty Jake Eder, acquired from the Los Angeles Angels along with Sam Brown in exchange for a pair of older relievers in the form of lefty Andrew Chafin and righty Luis Garcia, will take the bump for the Nationals against the Astros to open Grapefruit League play. Eder has pitched in only 3 games in the Washington organization since being acquired, and it will be interesting to see how his stuff looks to kick off the spring.
Starting the other game will be Shinnosuke Ogasawara, who is attempting to prove he belongs in the majors after struggling mightily in his rookie season last year for the Nationals. He will get the nod against the Cardinals, and hopefully the new regime under Paul Toboni will be able to fully unlock the potential that made him a solid international prospect last offseason.
We likely won't see either pitcher for more than an inning or two at this stage, but stacking good outings is crucial for guys like Eder and Ogasawara who are both likely on the outside looking in heading into the beginning of spring training games. Hopefully both players will be able to get things started on the right foot for the organization behind both of their lefties starting on Saturday.
Which Nationals player are you most excited to watch during spring training this year? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.