The Orioles have signed INF Max Wagner (Rd. 2, No. 42 overall) from the 2022 First-Year Player Draft. The Orioles have now signed three selections from the 2022 Draft.

The All-Star break has come and gone. The first half of the season is no more. Everybody’s enjoying one more day of relaxation before regathering Friday and commencing the second half.

For the Nationals, this is going to be a second half of change and promise, and perhaps some heartbreak as well. A lot could happen in these next few weeks leading up to the Aug. 2 trade deadline, after which the roster may look even less like the one that was trying to win championships not that long ago.

There will be no shortage of storylines to monitor the rest of the way. Here are five particularly important ones …

1. Is this really it for Soto in D.C.?
There was zero reason to even broach this subject one week ago. Of course Juan Soto would be finishing out the season with the Nationals, perhaps putting forth another monster second half and making an MVP case for himself, no matter the team’s record. That all changed Saturday with The Athletic’s report that Soto had turned down a 15-year, $440 million extension with the Nats, who now were going to explore the possibility of trading him.

It’s a bombshell development, one that could fundamentally change the way the rest of this season plays out for the Nationals. That doesn’t mean general manager Mike Rizzo is definitely going to trade Soto by Aug. 2. Given how complicated such a trade would be, there’s probably a good chance he doesn’t do it yet and re-explores the market over the winter (when the franchise may have some more stability on the ownership front, by the way).

The Washington Nationals selected collegiate left-handed pitcher Jake Bennett out of the University of Oklahoma with their second round pick (No. 45) in the 2022 First-Year Player Draft on Sunday. President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo, Assistant General Manager & Vice President of Scouting Operations Kris Kline and Director of Scouting Operations Eddie Longosz made the joint announcement.

Bennett, 21, went 10-4 with a 3.69 ERA in 20 games (19 starts) during his redshirt sophomore season at Oklahoma in 2022. He struck out 133 batters and walked just 22 in 117.0 innings pitched. He received second-team All-America honors from Baseball America and D1Baseball.com and third-team honors from Perfect Game. He was named First-Team All-Big 12 Conference and to the Big 12 All-Tournament Team.

The 6-foot-6, 234-pound left-hander is ranked by Baseball America as the No. 41 prospect and by MLBPipeline.com as the No. 68 prospect in the 2022 First-Year Player Draft.

A high school and college teammate of current Nationals prospect Cade Cavalli, Bennett was named a Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball in 2020. He went 3-0 with a 0.75 ERA (1 ER/19.0 IP) with 19 strikeouts and three walks in three starts before the cancellation of the season. In 2021, Bennet struck out 60 batters in 55.1 innings while going 4-3 with a 6.34 ERA in 16 games (13 starts).

Bennett is a native of Bixby, Okla., and graduated from Bixby High School. He was selected by the Nationals in the 39^th round of the 2019 First-Year Player Draft but chose to attend the University of Oklahoma. As a senior, he was rated as the top-ranked left-handed pitcher in the state of Oklahoma by Perfect Game. He garnered all-state honors in 2019 and was a three-time Tulsa World All-World honorable mention.

The Washington Nationals return home to D.C. for a six-game homestand, opening with a quick two-game set against the Seattle Mariners followed by a four-game series against the divisional rival Atlanta Braves. Single-game tickets for all Nationals home games are on sale now starting at just $9. Fans interested in purchasing tickets should visit nationals.com/Tickets. 

The season’s seventh homestand features a Value Day; U.S. Marine Corp Day; Camp Day; Intern Night; three University Days; STAR WARS™ Day; a Juan “Solo” bobblehead giveaway; City Connect uniforms; Summer Reading Sunday; Signature Sunday; Kids Run the Bases; and more. 

As a reminder, if you would like to cover any events at Nationals Park, please contact Valerie Todryk Krebs at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Devon Bridges at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for credentialing information in advance of the event.

TUESDAY, JULY 12 vs. SEATTLE MARINERS (7:05 PM)

Value Days

The Orioles selected the contract of reliever Rico Garcia this morning and optioned left-hander Bruce Zimmermann to Triple-A Norfolk.

Zimmermann threw a scoreless relief inning yesterday.

Reliever Travis Lakins Sr. was transferred to the 60-day injured list to make room for Garcia on the 40-man roster.

Also, reliever Marcos Diplán cleared outright waivers and was assigned to Norfolk.

Garcia, who’s wearing No. 63, has made two appearances with the Orioles as a replacement player in Toronto and allowed one run in three innings.

Nolan Reimold's sacrifice fly to the warning track in left field in the third inning brought home Ty Wigginton with the tying run. Wigginton doubled and took third on Jimmy Rollin's error. Nick Markakis has the Orioles' other hit, a double in the first inning. The Phillies loaded the bases with two outs in the third, but Millwood wiggled off the hook. Millwood gave up a leadoff single to Rollins on a fly ball that dropped near the line. Luke Scott ran a long way and still didn't get close to it. Placido Polanco fouled out to catcher Matt Wieters, who made a nice catch in front of the folding chairs that line part of the padded fence beside the dugout. Chase Utley struck out for the second time, the bat flying out of his hands and sailing over Garrett Atkins' head. Ryan Howard and Jayson Werth walked to load the bases, but Raul Ibanez bounced to second. Millwood threw 28 pitches, 16 strikes. He's up to 57 pitches. This is Millwood's longest official outing - we're not counting his five innings in an intrasquad game - and it's the first time an opponent hasn't batted around against him. Hope I didn't jinx him. Part 2: Kevin Millwood struck out two batters and walked pitcher Jamie Moyer in a scoreless fourth. Dewayne Wise and Paul Hoover went down swinging. Millwood threw 20 pitches, 13 for strikes. He's thrown 77 pitches, 47 strikes, through four innings. Cody "Give me back my son!" Ransom has replaced Rollins at shortstop.

Sunsets don't get much better than this one over @GrandTetonNPS. #nature #sunset pic.twitter.com/YuKy2rcjyU

— US Department of the Interior (@Interior) May 5, 2014

JULY 4 vs. TEX at 1:05 P.M.

INDEPENDENCE DAY

The Orioles will join Major League Baseball in celebrating Independence Day on Monday, July 4. As part of the celebration, all uniformed personnel will wear Independence Day-themed caps and socks. The specialty game-worn, autographed caps will be available for purchase at Orioles.com/ Auctions from Monday, July 11 at 5:00 p.m. through Sunday, July 17 at 10:00 p.m. to benefit The Orioles Charitable Foundation.

UMPS CARE CHARITIES AND WOUNDED WARRIOR UMPIRE ACADEMY

The Orioles will host members from UMPS CARE CHARITIES, the official philanthropy of the MLB Umpires, and the WOUNDED WARRIOR UMPIRE ACADEMY. UMPS CARE and the Wounded Warrior Umpire Academy partnered to train COLLINS HALSTEAD, who spent 22 years in the U.S. Marine Corps and served as a Gunnery Sergeant, and EUGENE DEIMLER, who served as a sergeant in the U.S. Army and was deployed to Kosovo, to be umpires in the Baltimore community. 

When this Orioles series in Chicago began, the team had not posted a four-game win streak since the end of the 2020 season. Today, the O's seek a five-game streak and a four-game sweep on the road against the White Sox – which would be their first four-game sweep at Chicago since 1995.

Baltimore's pitching has led the way to 4-0, 4-1 and 6-2 wins in this series. As a staff, the team's pitchers have allowed just the three runs on 16 hits with seven walks and 25 strikeouts.

The O’s pitchers have allowed two runs or less in seven of the last nine games, pitching to an ERA of 1.73 in that span. In the last four games, the O’s staff has allowed two total earned runs for an ERA of 0.55.

Over the last six games, O’s starting pitchers have an ERA of 0.98. The bullpen, which has been strong almost all year, has now gone 11 straight games allowing one earned run or less with an ERA of 1.29 in that span.

Couple that with some solid defense and an offense that has produced six runs or more 11 times in 22 games, you can see why the club has moved to 34-39 and is now five games from .500.

The Orioles have made the following roster moves:

• Reinstated LHP Keegan Akin from the Restricted List.
• Reinstated OF Anthony Santander from the Restricted List.
• Returned Substitute Player RHP Rico Garcia to Triple-A Norfolk after yesterday’s game.
• Returned Substitute Player OF Kyle Stowers to Triple-A Norfolk after yesterday’s game.

The Washington Nationals recalled right-handed pitcher Cory Abbott from Triple-A Rochester and optioned right-handed pitcher Andres Machado to Triple-A Rochester on Friday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement.

Abbott, 26, joins the Nationals for the first time this season. He struck out 24 batters in 19.0 innings between Triple-A Iowa in Chicago’s (NL) system and Triple-A Rochester. He went 0-3 with a 7.58 ERA in eight games (four starts) between the two stops.

Abbott was claimed off waivers from the San Francisco Giants on May 4. He was acquired by the Giants from the Chicago Cubs on April 21 in exchange for cash considerations.

Selected in the second round of the 2017 First-Year Player Draft, Abbott made his Major League debut on June 5, 2021. He went on to appear in seven games (one start) for the Cubs in 2021, posting a 6.75 ERA across 17.1 innings pitched. Abbott is 21-23 with a 3.82 ERA and 10.8 strikeouts per 9.0 innings in 80 career Minor League games (76 starts).

Machado, 29, has posted a 5.48 ERA in 17 games out of Washington’s bullpen.

JUNE 17

vs. TB AT 6:05 P.M.

BIRDLAND SUMMER MUSIC SERIES, PRESENTED BY MILLER LITE

Multi-platinum selling artist FLO RIDA will kick off the Birdland Summer Music Series,

presented by Miller Lite, with a postgame concert on Friday. The concert is the first

The Orioles have made the following roster move:

• INF Jahmai Jones has cleared unconditional release waivers and been released.

The Orioles have made the following roster move:

• Placed INF Chris Owings on unconditional release waivers.

The Orioles have made the following roster moves: 

• Selected the contract of INF Richie Martin from Triple-A Norfolk. He will wear No. 1
• Placed INF Ramón Urías on the 10-day Injured List with a left oblique strain, retroactive to June 10

The Orioles’ 40-man roster currently has 40 players.

The Washington Nationals returned from rehabilitation assignment and reinstated right-handed pitcher Stephen Strasburg from the 10-day Injured List and optioned left-handed pitcher Sam Clay to Triple-A Rochester on Thursday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement.

Strasburg, 33, went 1-1 with a 1.98 ERA in three rehab starts between Single-A Fredericksburg and Triple-A Rochester. He struck out 13 batters, walked six and allowed four hits in 13.2 innings pitched. Strasburg made his final rehab start on June 3 vs. Buffalo, allowing just one hit in 6.0 innings with four strikeouts and one walk.

Strasburg is Washington’s all-time (2005-pres.) leader in starts (246), wins (113) and strikeouts (1,718). Since his debut in 2010, Strasburg ranks among Major League starting pitchers (min. 1,400.0 IP) in strikeouts per 9.0 innings (3^rd, 10.55), opponents’ slugging percentage (3^rd, .353), opponents’ OPS (4^th, .634), strikeout-to-walk ratio (6^th, 4.38), opponents’ batting average (5^th, .223), opponents’ on-base percentage (5^th, .280), walks and hits per innings pitched (5^th, 1.09), ERA (6^th, 3.21) and strikeouts (11^th, 1,718).

Clay, 28, did not appear in a game during his most recent Major League stint.

ORIOLES NAME EVE ROSENBAUM ASSISTANT GENERAL MANAGER

The Orioles today announced that EVE ROSENBAUM has been promoted to Assistant General Manager, Baseball Operations. Rosenbaum will oversee roster management, transactions, financial planning, and Major League operations and administration, while continuing to play a key role in player evaluation and acquisition across the pro and amateur markets. She will also advise and assist Executive Vice President and General Manager MIKE ELIAS and Vice President and Assistant General Manager, Analytics SIG MEJDAL in all baseball operations decisions and departmental management.

Rosenbaum most recently served as the club’s Director of Baseball Development, a role she had held since joining the Orioles organization in November of 2019. In that role, she was responsible for developing and implementing evaluation methods and digital tools for use across all facets of baseball operations, serving as a conduit between the organization’s scouting, player development, and research and development departments.

 Prior to joining the Orioles, Rosenbaum spent five seasons in the Houston Astros organization, most recently serving as the club’s Manager of International Scouting. She also worked for the National Football League from 2012-15 as a Junior Rotational Program Member and as Manager of Business Intelligence and Optimization.

 Rosenbaum is a native of Bethesda, Md. and attended Harvard University (Mass). She earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in philosophy, and was a catcher on the Crimson varsity softball team. In November 2021, Rosenbaum was inducted into the Greater Washington Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. She currently resides in Baltimore.

The Orioles will join our nation in recognizing National Gun Violence Awareness Day on Friday, June 3. As part of the recognition, the Warehouse will be illuminated in orange, all uniformed personnel will wear orange jerseys throughout the weekend, and all online and in-store sales from Orioles Authentics will benefit Moms Demand Action. The Orioles Charitable Foundation will match 100 percent of Orioles Authentics sales from the weekend.

The Orioles will conduct a moment of silence prior to the game in memory of those who have lost their lives to gun violence, and to show support for organizations working to enact stricter gun legislation.   

Founded after the Sandy Hook tragedy in 2012, Moms Demand Action fights for public safety measures that can protect people from gun violence by passing stronger gun laws and working to close loopholes that jeopardize safety. For more information, visit MomsDemandAction.org.

Wear Orange Weekend began in 2013 after Hadiya Pendleton’s friends wore orange, the color hunters wear to protect themselves, to commemorate her life after she was shot and killed on a Chicago playground. For more information, visit WearOrange.com.

The Orioles swapped out pitchers again today, recalling Denyi Reyes from Triple-A Norfolk and optioning left-hander Zac Lowther.

Lowther threw 100 pitches last night in 5 1/3 innings. Reyes was the 27^th man for Saturday’s doubleheader in Boston, allowing one run in 3 2/3 innings in Game 2, and remained eligible to be recalled in fewer than 10 days.

Lowther was the first Orioles reliever last night to throw at least 100 pitches since Gabriel Ynoa on May 5, 2017.

Adley Rutschman is on the bench tonight as the Orioles continue their series against the Mariners. He’s 7-for-39 in 10 games.

Trey Mancini is playing first base and Anthony Santander is the right fielder and cleanup hitter.

NEW YORK – The Nationals waited the last two months for Luis García to prove to them he was ready to be called back up to the big leagues. But sometimes other developments force the issue, and when Alcides Escobar injured his right hamstring during Tuesday night’s loss to the Mets, the organization knew it was time to promote their 22-year-old infielder.

García was officially recalled from Triple-A Rochester this morning, with Escobar placed on the 10-day injured list with a right hamstring strain that’s not serious enough to sideline him long-term but was significant enough to sideline him for a little while.

“He said he was still sore. And the position he plays, it’s tough to play when your hamstring is bothering you,” manager Davey Martinez said prior to today’s series finale against the Mets. “We decided the best thing to do is just let it heal, let it get right. Hopefully it only takes 10 days, 12 days, but we’ll see where he’s at.”

The Nationals could’ve called up a short-term replacement for Escobar, such as utility infielder Lucius Fox. But García has long been considered a potential long-term part of the organization’s rebuilding plan, and his performance over the last two months at Triple-A – most notably a .314/.368/.531 offensive slash line – convinced the team’s decision makers the time was right to promote him.

“It made sense, because we have a shortstop on the (IL),” general manager Mike Rizzo said. “We thought he was very close, and when Escobar went down it made it a fairly simple decision to make.”