The Washington Nationals are in a major funk right now. After an ugly shutout loss at the hands of the New York Mets on Wednesday night, they fell to just 2-6 in their last 8 games following their offensive explosion in Seattle and Arizona, and have mustered just 10 runs over this brutal stretch. The team has been shutout 4 times in those 8 games, and have only drawn an astonishing 7 walks total across the same time frame.
While the club has sputtered offensively, the team has struggled as a whole, particularly with players like Trevor Williams, Josh Bell, and the subpar catching duo of Keibert Ruiz and Riley Adams dragging down the rest of the team. Many fans are wondering, when will the team get any sort of reinforcements? Well, here are a few updates on some key contributors that the team is sorely missing right now.
For starters, right reliever Derek Law is hopefully nearing a return next month, as he has begun throwing simulated games, topping out at 93 MPH on the velocity while throwing only 25 pitches. His recovery has been an interesting one, as nobody really knew the severity when it was announced he would begin this season on the IL. The Nationals could certainly use another quality arm in their bullpen, and Law's return will be big for the team if he is able to stay healthy.
Perhaps the most important injury concern for the Nationals at the moment is with their young star outfielder, Dylan Crews, who strained his left oblique near the end of May and was forced to go on the 10-day IL. As of June 3rd, the team announced that Crews had yet to resume swinging a bat, and is currently working on building up strength on his left side. The Nationals desperately need a right-handed bat in their order, but the long-term outlook for Crews must be prioritized here. His return is still unknown by all accounts, as they are waiting to see how the oblique continues to respond. With the NL Rookie of the Year race still wide open, Crews could still come back and make a great case for the award, as he was on pace for a 20/20 season before getting hurt.
The final injury update I wanted to touch upon in this piece is for righty starter Josiah Gray, who underwent Tommy John Surgery last year in late July. The Nationals' 2023 All-Star representative has begun to throw bullpen sessions, and recently joined the team in DC for their most recent homestand. He has stated numerous times that his goal is to be back on a big league mound by the end of the 2025 season, and it appears as if he is pacing towards that timeline as of now.
With the Nationals still being hesitant to bring up Cade Cavalli due to workload concerns and service time manipulations, we could possibly see the return of 2 righties to the big league rotation by the end of this season. If the team decides to move Trevor Williams to the bullpen, perhaps we could see the Nationals go with a 6-man rotation to ensure that Gray and Cavalli are able to finish the season at the big league level, while being able to manage their innings.
As for one more late addition to injury updates, Paul DeJong took batting practice for the first time earlier this week, and also participated in a simulated game. After suffering a brutal nasal injury after being hit in the face with a pitch earlier this season, DeJong should be back after next month's All-Star break, but it remains to be seen what role if any will be available to him once he's healthy.
Which injured National are you most excited to see return? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.