There’s only so much you can take away from the first six games of a new year. But dang it, we will try.

The Nationals’ first week of the 2025 season hasn’t gone totally according to plan. Their 1-5 record doesn’t look good on paper. But digging a little deeper, you start to see some positives they can hold their hats on.

Here are some observations from the Nats’ first week of play …

KEIBERT RUIZ IS HOT
Ruiz’s struggles in 2024 are well known. After he missed a lot of time early in the season with the flu and lost almost 20 pounds, he never fully recovered. He finished the year with a .229 average, .619 OPS, 13 home runs and 57 RBIs in 127 games last year, producing just 0.6 bWAR.

This year, he looks to be in much better shape and it’s paying off.

MacKenzie Gore set the tone for the Nationals from the get-go on Thursday. He started the 2025 regular season by striking out Trea Turner on a perfectly placed low-and-inside 96 mph fastball.

Little did we know at the time that would be the first of an Opening Day franchise-record 13 strikeouts he would record over his six brilliant innings. Making his first Opening Day start, the 26-year-old left-hander shut out a tough Phillies lineup while holding it to just one hit with no walks.

Complete domination.

But once Gore departed the game with 93 pitches after the sixth, the Nats bullpen could not follow their starter’s lead.

Handed a 1-0 lead in the seventh, a group of five Nats relievers gave up all seven of the Phillies’ runs over the next four frames in the eventual 7-3 extra-inning loss.

For a young baseball player, there’s no better moment than learning you’re going to the major leagues on the Opening Day roster. For a baseball manager, there’s no better moment than delivering that message.

For Brad Lord, it was a long road to this moment. For Nationals manager Davey Martinez, the opportunity to mess with the young pitcher was too good to pass up.

The 25-year-old right-hander has been waiting around D.C. for the past couple of days. He joined the Nats on their trip north from West Palm Beach ahead of their opening three-game series against the Phillies.

An exhibition game against the Orioles on Monday was rained out. The Nationals held one final workout at Nats Park on Wednesday, with Lord still unsure if he was staying around or packing his bags for Triple-A Rochester to start the season.

Then he got the call into the manager’s office. An answer was finally waiting for him: He had, indeed, made the Opening Day roster.

Well, just yesterday morning I took a look at the Nationals’ overall roster depth ahead of the regular season starting. I noted the importance of organizational depth as the baseball gods are unpredictable and unforgiving when it comes to injuries.

Sure enough, the Nationals announced just over an hour after my post published that left-hander DJ Herz was placed on the 15-day injured list with an elbow UCL sprain. And although we won’t have more official information on the situation until tomorrow, that injury is usually associated with Tommy John surgery and/or an internal brace procedure, which would sideline Herz until 2026.

Luckily, the Nats are confident in their organizational depth, which they believe is deeper than it has been in recent years and can help sustain a successful season.

Herz was to be a part of that depth, having been optioned down to Triple-A Rochester on Friday after a rough spring that included a bout with dead arm. The southpaw was coming off a rookie season in which he went 4-9 with 4.16 ERA while pitching some of the Nats’ most dominant starts of the season, including six innings of one-hit ball with 13 strikeouts on June 15 against the Marlins and 10 strikeouts with one run allowed July 2 against the Mets.

But after finishing four Grapefruit League starts with a 6.52 ERA, 1.966 WHIP, nine walks and only four strikeouts in 9 ⅔ innings, the Nationals decided to get Herz more seasoning in the minor leagues. And now an elbow injury has derailed his season.

The Nationals still have some roster moves to make ahead of Thursday’s Opening Day game against the Phillies. With yesterday’s rainout of an exhibition game against the Orioles, those decisions have been even harder now. No more game results to base them off of.

The final cuts need to be made, players informed they made the roster and guys moved to the injured lists. While some of these roster decisions will be difficult, there is some good news coming out of them.

For the first time in a while, the Nationals are very confident in their overall depth. The regulars on the roster enter the season with a lot of promise. But should anything unfortunate happen to their young stars, there are other talented players waiting to step up.

“It's awesome. Early in the spring when I was looking at everything and the one thing that really stuck out is that we do have some depth this year, which is great,” manager Davey Martinez said. “So we're really excited about that. I can't say enough about our organization. Our minor league coaching staff, trainers, everybody, getting these young kids prepared and ready to play. They look really good. Some of our young guys look really good. Exciting to know that they're well on their way.”

Riley Adams or Andrew Knizner will win the backup catcher’s job. Juan Yepez or José Tena will be the utilityman off the bench. And Jackson Rutledge or Brad Lord will fill out the bullpen.

After six long weeks, the Nationals have finally broken camp and departed Florida. All that stands between them and Opening Day against the Phillies on Thursday are a couple of off-days and today’s exhibition finale against the Orioles.

Yes, today’s game is the first of a five-year deal between the two neighboring clubs that will see them play an annual home-and-home exhibition series from 2026-29, with this year’s edition only taking place with one game at Nationals Park.

Jake Irvin will take the mound for the last time before he assumes the No. 2 starter’s role and faces the Phillies on Saturday. In his last Grapefruit League start on Wednesday, the right-hander was roughed up for six runs, 10 hits and two homers while experiencing a drop in his velocity. While Irvin insisted it was nothing to worry about, it is something to monitor in this otherwise unimportant game.

Although the Nationals have their regulars in the starting lineup, they aren’t expected to play the whole game. After they get their at-bats, they’ll give way to the group of bench players and prospects, some of whom are still competing for roster spots. The Nationals are expected to make their final cuts following today’s game.

This game is also the MASN crew’s final tuneup before Opening Day. I highly suggest joining Bob Carpenter and Kevin Frandsen at the top of the broadcast at 1 p.m. on MASN.

New season. New roster. And now, a new look.

The Nationals unveiled their new City Connect uniforms this morning with a special ceremony outside the remodeled team store in center field plaza at Nationals Park.

Season plan holders got an exclusive first look at the new look the team will be wearing this season. The event included guest speakers D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and former National Ryan Zimmerman, along with a video that included former Nats closer and current pitching strategist Sean Doolittle and the original song “Our Diamond, Our District” by local rock band O.A.R.

The new City Connect uniforms, titled “District Blueprint” and replacing the very popular Cherry Blossom uniforms the team has worn since 2022, are an homage to the quadrants, grand avenues and traffic circles that connect the city of Washington, D.C. The jersey features the city’s iconic street grid in tones of American denim. The District’s blueprint, if you will.

“This season marks our 20th anniversary, and my family and I are so proud of how this team has become woven into the fabric of our city,” said Nationals managing principal owner Mark D. Lerner in a statement. “These uniforms are a great representation of how baseball has the power to bring us all together, and we are continually honored to play for the people of Washington, D.C.”

The Nationals are used to having a trio of young, promising outfielders in spring training. James Wood, Dylan Crews and Robert Hassell III drew a lot of attention during their first camp together last year. And this year, they are back in the major league clubhouse at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches, with Wood and Crews expected to make the Opening Day roster and Hassell due for his big league debut sometime this season.

But further down the row of lockers occupied by those now spring training regulars sits Andrew Pinckney, another young, promising outfielder getting his first taste of big league camp as a non-roster invitee and one of the Nats’ top prospects.

“I feel great. It's super cool,” Pinckney said. “You don't really expect to get the invite, you know? But I got it and I'm excited to be here. Just trying to see pitches well and trying to put my best swing on them. So yeah, I'm having a great time.”

Pinckney was a fourth-round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, selected three rounds after Crews, who was drafted No. 2 overall. The two were rivals in the SEC as Pinckney’s Alabama Crimson Tide watched Crews’ LSU Tigers win the national championship just weeks before the draft.

Now the two are sharing a clubhouse in West Palm Beach. And Pinckney is working to get to where Crews has already established himself: the major leagues.

The past six months must have felt like déjà vu for Robert Hassell III.

After his regular season was hampered by injury, he reported to the Arizona Fall League. Then he reported to West Palm Beach in February looking to prove he’s healthy and still a top prospect in the Nationals farm system.

Unfortunately, that has been a repeating cycle for the 23-year-old outfielder ever since he came over as one of the five prospects returned to the Nats in the 2022 blockbuster Juan Soto trade with the Padres.

So here he is once again: Back at Nationals spring training, trying to show he’s healthy, trying to prove his worth.

But before we get to what Hassell is doing this year, let’s go back to last spring training.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – CJ Abrams arrived to spring training as one of, if not the, biggest storylines at the start of a new season.

How would the young shortstop respond to his disciplinary demotion that prematurely ended his 2024 campaign?

At the start of camp, all signs pointed to Abrams responding very well. He added 10 pounds of muscle, said he got even faster over the offseason and still flashed that noticeable smile while walking around the Nationals clubhouse.

“I just put it behind me,” Abrams told the media in his first public appearance since the demotion on the first day of spring training. “Things happen, and you’ve got to move forward. I’m here now, and I'm excited to get going with the team.”

As we’ve moved to the halfway point of camp, the off-field issues have been left in the past. Now the attention has turned to Abrams’ on-field performance.

JUPITER, Fla. – As the starting lineups were announced for this afternoon's Grapefruit League action at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium, one could have thought we had traveled back in time.

The starting pitcher for the visitors: Michael Soroka. The starting pitcher for the home side: Erick Fedde.

No, this was not a Nats-Braves matchup from 2019. This was a 2025 spring training game between the Nationals and Cardinals, which the good guys won in a 12-1 rout.

The two right-handers became good friends during their time with the White Sox last year. They’re even roommates here in the greater West Palm Beach area for spring training. But today they were rivals.

“It was fun. It was fun to watch Fed do what he had to do,” Soroka said after his outing was done. “I got to watch him a lot last year. I'll see what our guys are saying and I'll talk to them. Yeah, he's a special guy, first and foremost, and it's fun to go up against a friend.”

JUPITER, Fla. – The Nationals will be trying some new things this weekend as they continue to get their pitchers ready for the regular season.

For the most part, the starters are staying in the same rotation. There are just some tweaks as to how and where they’ll be getting their work done over the next couple of days.

The rotation following Michael Soroka’s start today against the Cardinals includes Trevor Williams starting tomorrow night against the Mets, with MacKenzie Gore and Kyle Finnegan pitching on the back fields at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches. DJ Herz starts Saturday’s game against the Cardinals and Jake Irvin starts Sunday’s game against the Mets, with both matchups on MASN. And Shinnosuke Ogasawara will start one of Monday’s split-squad games against the Marlins.

Mitchell Parker is still day-to-day with a stiff neck after not pitching on his regularly scheduled day yesterday behind Ogasawara.

“Parker is still day-to-day,” manager Davey Martinez said during his pregame session with the media. “I want to make sure that we get this neck thing right before we send him back out.”

JUPITER, Fla. – The Nationals return to Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium after yesterday’s 8-7 win over the Marlins. But this time, they’ll take on the Cardinals and an old friend.

Erick Fedde, the Nats’ first-round pick in 2014, will make this third start of spring for St. Louis. The right-hander was traded from the White Sox to the Cardinals as part of a three-team deal at last year’s trade deadline after signing a two-year, $15 million contract with Chicago following his standout year in Korea.

Opposing him will be Michael Soroka for the Nats. The right-hander is making his second start of spring after debuting here Saturday against the Red Birds. Soroka pitched three shutout innings with three strikeouts and one walk on 39 pitches.

Both pitchers would be wise to keep batters from getting balls in the air. Once again, strong winds are blowing out toward the outfield. As we saw yesterday as the Nationals and Marlins combined hit five home runs, balls can fly here if they get caught in the jet streams.

And this game is back on MASN! You can join Bob Carpenter and Dan Kolko on the broadcast starting at 1 p.m., while I’ll continue having game coverage from here in West Palm! Charlie Slowes and Dave Jageler are also back on the radio broadcast streamed on Nationals.com and MLB.com.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The Automated Balls and Strikes system won’t be used in Major League Baseball during the regular season. But it’s getting a good look during spring training.

The Nationals don’t have access to the technology at the CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches. It’s only available at spring training stadiums that house full-season minor league teams. The Nats and Astros only have their Florida Complex League teams playing on the back fields of the complex.

But the Nats get a chance to test the system when they visit Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium in Jupiter or Clover Park in Port St. Lucie. And it provided two interesting moments in yesterday’s 8-7 win over the Marlins.

A Nats lineup filled with regulars got to face former Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara as he works his way back from October 2023 Tommy John surgery. Some for the very first time. The Miami right-hander was efficient over his 2 ⅔ innings, but his only mishaps came while using his ABS challenges.

Budding Nats stars James Wood and Robert Hassell III – both of the blockbuster Juan Soto trade in 2022 – displayed impressive eyes at the plate against one of the league’s best pitchers.

JUPITER, Fla. – Today’s Grapefruit League matchup between the Nationals and Marlins started off slow. In fact, it started late before it started off slow.

After a 23-minute rain delay, the first three innings seemed to drag along with nothing really of note happening. James Wood was playing left field for the first time since dealing with right quad tendinitis, but he only had one ball hit toward him.

A slow-paced, actionless game is not uncommon during spring training.

Then the action picked up real fast and all of a sudden the game – which resulted in an 8-7 Nationals victory – was quite interesting. The batters started taking advantage of the 20-plus mph wind gusts out to left-center field, as opposed to the incoming winds yesterday in West Palm Beach.

Through the first three innings, the only things of note were Andrew Pinckney’s strong throw from right field for an out at home, and Wood and Robert Hassell III winning two Automated Balls and Strikes (ABS) challenges against former Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara.

JUPITER, Fla. – The time has come for James Wood to finally return to the outfield after dealing with right quad tendinitis over the first few weeks of Nationals spring training.

Wood will play four or five innings in left field while batting second behind leadoff man CJ Abrams in this afternoon’s game against the Marlins in Jupiter. The big outfielder has appeared in two games as the designated hitter, going 2-for-6 with one run, one walk and one strikeout, and faces a tough challenge today in Miami starter Sandy Alcantara.

“He's gonna probably play about four or five innings out there,” manager Davey Martinez said during his pregame media session. “We'll see how it goes, but he played well yesterday. He looked good. He says he's ready to go, so we'll get him out there and get him some regular reps out in the field.”

Wood took part in the Nationals’ fly ball drills yesterday and then played a couple of innings in the outfield during a simulated intrasquad game on the back fields at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches. The 22-year-old reported that he was fine afterwards and told his manager he’s ready to return to the field in an actual Grapefruit League game.

“I think everything went well yesterday and he felt good,” Martinez said. “He's been itching to get back out there. So we'll get him going.

JUPITER, Fla. – This afternoon the Nationals will make their first of back-to-back trips to Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium over the next two days. They’ll play the Marlins in their first 15-minute trip up the road from their home in West Palm Beach.

We’ve landed on another multiple-starter day as Shinnosuke Ogasawara and Mitchell Parker are both scheduled to pitch against the Fish. The plan is for each left-hander to get up to 40 pitches and about three innings.

Ogasawara had a tough time during his last outing against the Mets’ A lineup. He completed 1 ⅔ innings with four hits, four runs (two earned), one walk and two strikeouts on 32 pitches, 24 strikes. He also served up a two-run home run to Juan Soto. But he should have a better time against this Marlins squad that is projected to finish last in the National League East.

Parker was charged with five hits, a double, two runs and two strikeouts in 2 ⅓ innings on 42 pitches, 31 strikes, against the Mets on Friday. He did, however, strike out Soto on a high fastball.

The lineup – which includes regulars James Wood, making his first appearance in the outfield, and Luis García Jr. – will have a tough challenge to start this one. Former Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara makes his third start of the spring. The right-hander has yet to give up a run or walk over three innings, recording four strikeouts and allowing only three hits. Alcantara missed all of last season while recovering from October 2023 Tommy John surgery.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Early March in spring training brings the anticipation of the first roster cuts. Usually, it’s a group of minor leaguers who have been in major league camp but are running out of opportunities to play as the everyday big leaguers need more reps to get ready for the season.

Technically, it is a demotion. But none of the young players should hold their heads down as they move from the Nationals clubhouse to the minor league side down the hall at the CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches complex.

The Nats made their first cuts of the spring yesterday, reassigning right-handers Daison Acosta, Marquis Grissom Jr., Jack Sinclair, Tyler Stuart and Jarlin Susana, and catchers Caleb Lomavita and Max Romero to minor league camp.

“We had some young guys that threw the ball really, really well,” manager Davey Martinez said. “So now that we're trying to get our starters stretched out and see some of these other guys go multiple innings, it's time for them to get ready for their season as well. But I saw a lot of really good things. As I said earlier, for me, this is the first camp where I really feel like we have some depth. Our young guys are doing well and they're coming. So it was a lot of fun to watch these guys pitch early.”

Demoting Susana, who is the Nats’ No. 3 ranked prospect and the No. 78 ranked prospect in baseball per MLB Pipeline’s latest rankings, wasn’t unexpected. But it is unfortunate that we’ll see less of the 6-foot-6, 235-pound flamethrower, who draws attention every time he steps on a mound. He could still be called up from minor league camp for games, plus one of the two Spring Breakout games next week.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Spring training results, especially early in camp, don’t really carry much weight for a variety of reasons. Starters don’t play the whole nine innings. Pitchers often work on different pitches. And minor leaguers can fill out a lineup against major leaguers.

Another factor affecting play, especially in South Florida, is the weather.

The sun can blind fielders on popups. Clouds can roll in and out in a matter of seconds. Rain can downpour and then vanish just as quickly. And the wind can blow all over the field at high speeds.

It seemed like the wind was the 10th fielder for both teams during the Nationals’ 6-4 loss to the Cardinals at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches. With gusts between 20-30 mph coming in from the right field corner, most fly balls died in the outfield.

The benefactors: Starting pitchers Jake Irvin and Michael McGreevy.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The Nationals were back to work on the back fields at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches after Monday’s true off-day. No one reported to the complex yesterday. Everyone returned today.

That included Luis García Jr., who was a late scratch from Saturday’s nightcap of a split-squad doubleheader with an illness that included a throat issue and fever. The second baseman said he was feeling better in the clubhouse this morning. Manager Davey Martinez said García will be back to baseball activity today.

That activity will take place on the back fields while the Nats host a split-squad Cardinals team inside the stadium for today’s Grapefruit League action (which will also be live on MASN at 1 p.m.). The Nats will play a simulated intrasquad game on the back fields for those who aren’t playing against the Cards.

“He's going to do all baseball activity,” the skipper said of García during his pregame media session. “He's going to go back there and play in that game. And then if he feels good, he'll be back in there tomorrow.”

James Wood will also play on the back fields, which is a significant development because he will be playing a few “innings” in the outfield for the first time since reporting to camp with right quad tendinitis. The big outfielder has appeared in two games as the designated hitter, going 2-for-6 with one run, one walk and one strikeout.