The Nationals were hit with some tough news on Wednesday as LHP DJ Herz was placed on the 60-day injured list with a left elbow UCL sprain. This comes after a very rough spring for the young lefty in which he posted a 6.52 ERA across 9.2 innings pitched and four appearances (three starts). He was optioned to Triple-A Rochester on Friday prior to being placed on the injured list.
Herz had a very solid rookie year in 2024 and was a popular breakout pick around the league with MLB.com even putting him on a list of potential breakout stars for 2025. In 19 starts at the big league level in 2024, Herz put up a 4.16 ERA and struck out 106 batters in 88.2 innings. His ERA+ was 97, which is slightly below average (100 ERA+), but his underlying numbers were very encouraging: a 3.26 xERA, a 3.71 FIP, and a 27.7% strikeout rate.
Herz's main issue in the minors was his walk rate, which in 2024 was 7.32 walks per nine innings, but he mitigated that issue to some extent once he reached the majors, cutting it in half to 3.65 BB/9, so it was certainly concerning to see his control issues in Spring Training. Herz walked 9 batters in just 9.2 innings this spring, which given his past, wasn't the most surprising thing, but it was a severe regression from last season. What was more concerning was how many hits he allowed (10 hits in 9.2 innings). Major League hitters hit just .224 against Herz last season and across his minor league career, batters hit just .178 against him, so seeing hitters teeing off on him this spring was another sign of a potential injury.
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…
Herz was optioned to Triple-A Rochester on Friday and was placed on the 60-day IL on Wednesday with a "left elbow UCL sprain" according to the team. Herz was also reportedly experiencing "dead arm," which is another way of saying fatigue and reduced velocity and control in the throwing arm, according to Spencer Nusbaum, another Nationals beat reporter. There is no news yet on whether or not Herz will require Tommy John surgery, but UCL injuries are always a bad sign, so the outlook is grim.
As for how this will affect the Nationals, it will clearly hurt the rotation depth. The rotation is currently comprised of Gore, Irvin, Williams, Soroka, and Parker, but after them the options are not great, especially without Herz. Ogasawara was awful in Spring Training, Rutledge is not effective as a starter, Cavalli is M.I.A., and Brad Lord will start the season in the bullpen. Given the fact that the Nationals had to select Lord's contract, Herz is likely headed for Tommy John Surgery given the fact that the team already put him on the 60-day IL.
Hopefully, the rest of the pitching staff remains healthy, but if not, the loss of Herz will have an even bigger impact on a team that is already thin when it comes to pitching. Perhaps Herz will be able to rejoin the team this year, but sadly, that does not seem likely considering the type of injury. Regardless, hopefully Herz has a safe and speedy recovery and will be able to pitch again soon.