On Wednesday afternoon, the Washington Nationals made a flurry of transactions in order to finalize their roster ahead of Opening Day today against the Philadelphia Phillies. While some names, like MacKenzie Gore, who will make his first career Opening Day start today, were never in question, many guys who were on the roster bubble ultimately learned their fates about 24 hours before the club was set to begin their season.
Of course, coming out of spring training, there are some awesome feel-good stories around the league, and the Nationals had one of their own with former Home Depot employee Brad Lord making the team on Opening Day. Of course, selecting Lord's contract needed a corresponding move, and it appears that DJ Herz will be heading to the 60-day IL, in wake of recent news that he might be headed for Tommy John Surgery.
Elsewhere around the roster, the ultimate surprise of the team's roster was the fact that Juan Yepez, who closed the 2024 season as the Nationals' 1st baseman, will be sent down to AAA Rochester to begin the season. His exclusion comes as a bit of a surprise, as the team's bench will be comprised of Alex Call, Riley Adams, Amed Rosario, and José Tena.
Others who narrowly missed the roster included righty Jackson Rutledge, who will likely be on a short list of call-ups in case of any struggles or injuries to anyone in the bullpen, and Andrew Knizner, who lost the backup catcher battle to Riley Adams. Knizner will likely split time with Drew Millas down in Rochester, and I would anticipate that there is a good chance we see both of them in the majors at some point this season.
Nationals Opening Day 26-Man Roster:
Catchers: Keibert Ruiz, Riley Adams
Infielders: Nathaniel Lowe, Luis Garcia Jr., Paul DeJong, CJ Abrams, Amed Rosario, José Tena
Outfielders: James Wood, Jacob Young, Dylan Crews, Alex Call
Designated Hitter: Josh Bell
Starting Pitchers: LHP MacKenzie Gore, RHP Jake Irvin, LHP Mitchell Parker, RHP Trevor Williams, RHP Michael Soroka
Relief Pitchers: RHP Kyle Finnegan (CL), RHP Jorge López, LHP Jose A. Ferrer, RHP Lucas Sims, LHP Colin Poche, RHP Eduardo Salazar, RHP Orlando Ribalta, RHP Brad Lord
Note: Italicized means that this player is a projected starter.
Opening Day Lineup & Rotation:
Lineup:
1. SS CJ Abrams (L)
2. LF James Wood (L)
3. 2B Luis Garcia Jr. (L)
4. DH Josh Bell (S)
5. 1B Nathaniel Lowe (L)
6. 3B Paul DeJong (R)
7. C Keibert Ruiz (S)
8. RF Dylan Crews (R)
9. CF Jacob Young (R)
Rotation:
1. LHP MacKenzie Gore
2. RHP Jake Irvin
3. LHP Mitchell Parker
4. RHP Trevor Williams
5. RHP Michael Soroka
That is your 2025 Washington Nationals Opening Day roster, and as for some of the corresponding moves, the team put out this announcement via their Communications team:
The Nationals have announced the following transactions:
— Nationals Communications (@NationalsComms) March 26, 2025
-Selected Brad Lord to the Major League Roster
-Transferred DJ Herz to the 60-day IL
-Optioned Jackson Rutledge to Triple-A Rochester
-Optioned Juan Yepez to Triple-A Rochester
-Placed Derek Law on the 15-day IL…
The injury bug has struck the Nationals early, with DJ Herz, Derek Law, Cade Cavalli, Zach Brzykcy, and Andrés Chaparro beginning the season on the IL. Cavalli will continue to build up innings as part of his continued and seemingly never-ending rehab from Tommy John Surgery, while I would imagine that we see Law and Chaparro return to the big league club sooner than later. Yepez, Rutledge, and Knizner will all begin the season with the Rochester Red Wings, who should have a pretty formidable lineup made up of a lot of guys with big league experience.
Overall, I am not overly surprised with any of the announcements from the final roster, as, outside of Lord making the team and Herz likely done for the year, there were not too many shocking cuts. The 2025 season is finally upon us, and let's see what this team can do heading into a new year!
What do you think of the Nationals Opening Day roster? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.