As I am sure we will have more to talk about with the Washington Nationals over the course of the next few days, especially if they continue to perform as poorly as they have recently, let's take a look at some positive news regarding the club.
While the Nationals lost their 9th consecutive game on Monday night, it appears as if there is a positive outlook for a trio of Nationals players that the team could certainly use. No, Manager Dave Martinez has not been fired yet, despite ripping his players following a loss over the weekend and now losing the series opener to the Colorado Rockies. No, we still don't have an injury update on star rookie outfielder Dylan Crews.
However, we do have a few key updates courtesy of Andrew Golden from the Washington Post, who provided Nationals fans with news on a few names you might have forgotten actually exist. The first of those names is the man in the article cover, Mason Thompson, who is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment with the Harrisburg Senators starting on Tuesday. You might remember that Thompson has been with the Nationals since 2021, when he came over from the Padres in a deal that sent reliever Daniel Hudson out west.
Thompson has not appeared in a big league game since 2023, as he underwent his second Tommy John Surgery of his career, but could possibly be a sorely missed late-inning option for the Nationals. While closer Kyle Finnegan has been pretty solid this season outside of Monday's nightmare outing, he is likely to be traded at the deadline, and Thompson could potentially find himself in line for some high-leverage situations once he rejoins the club.
His return will be great for the team, as will the return of Derek Law, who has yet to appear in a game this season after pitching over 90 innings out of the bullpen last year. Law, who has been slowly ramping up his recovery by throwing scheduled bullpen sessions every few days, could potentially join Thompson in Harrisburg later this week, assuming that his recovery from today's simulated game that he threw.
Law was more of a fireman last year, not really operating as a pure setup guy, but often being the first guy Martinez would turn to out of the bullpen when the team needed him. His numbers when coming in for a clean inning were much better than those when he came in with inherited runners, and hopefully Martinez will keep that in mind if he is still at the helm when Law makes his return.
The final injured Nationals player that is scheduled to begin his own rehab assignment with Harrisburg starting on Tuesday is Paul DeJong, who was hit in the face while the Nationals were in Pittsburgh earlier this season. He has not appeared in a game since that incident, but it appears as if the club could potentially give him an opportunity to get back to the big leagues once he's been able to get his feet back underneath him on his rehab assignment.
While DeJong was the team's starting third baseman when he got hurt, he wasn't particularly great at the dish despite his fantastic glove at the hot corner, as he posted just a .204/.246/.278 slash line, good for a .523 OPS while only having 4 extra base hits in 16 games. He had struck out in 42% of his at-bats, which makes his potential return even more of a dilemma for the Nationals.
Since Brady House just got the promotion to the big leagues, DeJong will no longer be in line for everyday at-bats or regular playing time, as his fit even as a backup infielder on this team is an interesting one. He is known for his power, but it's not like the team can really afford to send down or DFA Amed Rosario, given his knack for demolishing left-handed pitching, and the fact that he is likely to be a tradeable piece at the deadline. Luis Garcia Jr. likely isn't going anywhere either, and you're not going to want to send House back down after choosing to promote him. He really doesn't have a spot on this team unless Josh Bell finally gets served his overdue walking papers, and even then, it's really not like DeJong is much of an upgrade besides his potential defensive value.
Either way, the Nationals will soon have some very interesting roster decisions to make before the trade deadline, and perhaps there's a chance that Mike Rizzo will begin working the phones in an attempt to start selling off some of his assets. The Nationals clearly are not going to be competing, as they have not lost 4 straight to 2 of the worst teams in the National League, and are now 12 games under .500.
Which of these Nationals are you most excited to see return to the big league club? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.