WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Position players don’t officially report to Nationals camp until Monday, with the first official full-squad workout Tuesday, but so many of them were already on hand early that the team decided to get started now with a time-honored, spring training workout: live batting practice.

Nine pitchers took turns facing groups of three live hitters on three different practice fields during this morning’s session. The largest crowd (including managing principal owner Mark Lerner) watched from behind the plate on Field 3 as MacKenzie Gore, Jose A. Ferrer and Jarlin Susana pitched to Stone Garrett, Alex Call and José Tena.

Gore had success against Garrett (one of his closest friends on the team), but it was Call who connected for a home run to left-center field off the left-hander and potential Opening Day starter.

Susana, the flamethrowing 20-year-old in major league camp for the first time, also had plenty of onlookers watching intently as he faced that same group of hitters, plus Keibert Ruiz. Drew Millas had the task of catching Susana’s 100-plus mph fastball, and the young backstop was eagerly awaiting that opportunity as everyone warmed up prior to the drill.

Field 6 saw Trevor Williams, Tyler Stuart and Clay Helvey take the mound against another group of hitters. Field 4 was manager Davey Martinez’s venue of choice, in part for the pitchers who worked there (Eduardo Salazar, Evan Reifert, Joan Adon) but maybe even more for the hitters who faced them (James Wood, Dylan Crews, CJ Abrams).

Success in the Rule 5 Draft is never assured. It’s actually quite rare. The Nationals, though, were willing to take a shot on an unprotected prospect for the third straight year, hoping Evan Reifert bucks the trend and proves himself a valuable member of their pitching staff for years to come.

The Nats selected Reifert today in the final official event of the Winter Meetings in Dallas, using the No. 6 pick in the draft to snag the right-hander reliever away from the Rays.

Reifert, 25, has never pitched above Double-A, but he’s coming off a dominant 2024 season for Tampa Bay’s affiliate in Montgomery. In 34 appearances, he posted a sparkling 1.96 ERA and 0.919 WHIP, striking out 65 batters in only 41 1/3 innings.

Originally a 30th-round pick of the Rangers in 2018 from North Iowa Area Community College, Reifert chose not to sign with Texas and instead transferred to Central Missouri. He wasn’t selected in the pandemic-condensed 2020 draft, but signed with the Brewers and began his professional career.

After a strong 2021 season in Single-A ball, Reifert was traded to the Rays in a deal for big leaguer Mike Brosseau, then spent the last three seasons in Tampa Bay’s farm system. A shoulder injury derailed most of his 2023 campaign, but he returned strong this year at the Double-A level.