Following a night in which we were closely monitoring whether or not the Washington Nationals and the visiting Cleveland Guardians would be able to even play their game as scheduled, we ultimately learned that the game would not be played. As a result, the teams are set to play a doubleheader today, and the Nationals will get to bring up an extra player to be the team's 27th man.
Per the team's official Communications Department, the Nationals will be appointing righty Zach Brzykcy as the team's 27th man for today's doubleheader. The former Virginia Tech Hokie has been rehabbing for the majority of this season, and was expected to be back in the bullpen picture sometime soon.
Given that he was chosen to be brought up today, with how the team's bullpen has fared overall, it is fair to wonder if he could stick around beyond just being the extra man today. It does seem a bit unlikely, given the recent success of the unit as a whole, as even the guy who has struggled the most, Lucas Sims, has been pretty effective recently.
In 8 appearances this season, Brzykcy has a 2.35 ERA with 14 strikeouts in just 7.2 innings of work, showing elite swing-and-miss stuff that made him earn his first ever call to the big leagues late last season. While the brief audition at the MLB level wasn't overly successful, as he struck out just 4 batters and had a 14.29 ERA and 2.12 WHIP in just 5.2 innings, he was expected to be in the equation to make the bullpen out of spring training until he got injured.
If Brzykcy does get a chance to pitch today, perhaps there is a way that he is kept on the roster in place of fellow righty Eduardo Salazar, who has arguably been worse than Sims this season. Salazar has struggled in 16 appearances this season, with a 9.20 ERA and 2.25 WHIP in 14.2 innings, and a subpar 11:6 K:BB ratio as well.
Personally, I am rooting for Brzykcy to get a shot today to prove he should stick at the big league level beyond just today's games, and would love to see the team cut their losses on either Salazar or Sims, with Salazar being my preferred option to get the boot. The road to recovery has probably felt like a long one for Brzykcy, but I am excited to see what he can contribute to the Nationals today.
What do you think of Zach Brzykcy being appointed as the 27th man? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.