About 2 ½ years ago, Cole Henry’s career in professional baseball faced a major setback. After thoracic outlet syndrome surgery in August 2022, the idea of him pitching again came into serious question. And his chances of making the major leagues with the Nationals were slim-to-none.

But the right-hander continued to work his way back, trying to overcome a procedure that had consumed the careers of Stephen Strasburg, Will Harris, Matt Harvey and others.

One thing Henry had going for him was his age. He was only 23 when he had the surgery, so he had more time to recover his body, which hadn’t yet been worn down by numerous professional seasons. That also meant, however, he had a whole career ahead of him that could possibly be taken away before it ever really started.

Henry wouldn’t let it.

After years of rehab and carefully planned pitching schedules, Henry finally got the call to the majors this past weekend and made his big league debut Sunday against the Marlins.

MIAMI – The Nationals rotation is set for this weekend, with Mitchell Parker, Trevor Williams and MacKenzie Gore lined up to face the Marlins. Then, Jake Irvin will be ready to start Monday’s series opener in Pittsburgh. But by Tuesday, manager Davey Martinez will need a fifth starter.

That fifth spot was reserved for Michael Soroka, the right-hander who signed a one–year, $9 million contract with the Nats over the offseason. But the 27-year-old was placed on the 15-day injured list on April 4 (backdated to April 1) with a right biceps strain after leaving his season debut following his third pitch of the sixth inning in Toronto.

Soroka was charged with five hits, four runs, one walk and three strikeouts in his five-plus innings against the Blue Jays. And although landing on the IL this early in the season is never a good thing, the Nats believed he wouldn’t be down for long.

He played catch on Tuesday back at Nationals Park, and while he felt good, the Nats do have to build him back up before he can be ready to return to game action again.

“He threw the other day. He said he felt good,” Martinez said during his pregame media session ahead of the series opener against the Marlins. “So we just got to build him back up now. So hopefully, we get him back soon.”

After the Nationals started 1-6, they have won four of their last five games. Winning cures all. Spirits are high.

But the Nats do find themselves with one problem. Don’t worry, it’s a good one to have.

There is a bit of an outfield conundrum forming in the Nats dugout, thanks to a scorching-hot start from Alex Call.

Call made the Opening Day roster as the fourth outfielder coming off the bench. Manager Davey Martinez announced early in spring training he was going to run out James Wood in left field, Jacob Young in center and rookie Dylan Crews in right on a daily basis to start the season.

But Crews struggled out of the gate, going hitless in his first 19 at-bats. Then Young was given a reset over the weekend after frustrations started to mount following his 1-for-15 start over his first eight games.

If Jacob Young was going to lose playing time this season, it figured to be in favor of Robert Hassell III, the Nationals prospect who seemed on the cusp of debuting in the big leagues following a great spring. Two weeks in, though, Young has lost playing time. Not because of Hassell, but because of Alex Call.

Call today finds himself in the Nats lineup for the fifth straight game, the seventh time in eight games. The 30-year-old has been torrid at the plate, going 8-for-18 with two doubles, four RBIs and four walks, while also playing solid defense in both right and left fields.

Young, on the other hand, is still trying to find his stroke at the plate. He opened the season 1-for-15 with three walks, though he did return to start Tuesday night and went 2-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored.

Nevertheless, the 25-year-old Gold Glove Award finalist is sitting this afternoon for the fifth time in seven games, turning the daily process of filling out the lineup card a bit more complicated than expected.

“It’s not really complicated, because we still want to work with Jacob on some things, even though he did do better yesterday,” manager Davey Martinez insisted. “We want to get him right. Alex is swinging the bat really, really well, so he’s getting an opportunity to play here a little more. But as I’ve said before, Jacob’s going to be back in there playing center field. He’s going to play a lot of center field.”

CJ Abrams is out of the Nationals lineup a second straight day with an upper right leg ailment, but the shortstop expressed confidence he’ll be back “very soon.”

Abrams didn’t play Monday night’s series opener against the Dodgers, with manager Davey Martinez revealing his shortstop had complained of thigh tightness stemming from the final play of Sunday’s win over the Diamondbacks, in which he charged in to field a grounder and then threw off-balance to first base.

Abrams today referred to his ailment as “kind of a hip flexor thing,” saying it’s not a problem with his thigh. He didn’t seem concerned about it forcing him to miss anything more than a few days.

“It wasn’t anything specific. I just kind of felt it after (the last play Sunday),” he said. “Just took a couple days off, and I should be back out there soon.”

Abrams did take ground balls this afternoon and was planning to take batting practice in the cage prior to this evening’s game. There’s a chance he could come off the bench if needed, but it sounds more likely he returns to the lineup for Wednesday’s series finale or Friday’s series opener in Miami.

Jacob Young will sit for the second straight day as the Nationals finish their three-game series against the Diamondbacks. Alex Call will play right field as Dylan Crews shifts to center, as was the case when Young sat Saturday against Arizona left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez.

Call starting against a left-hander yesterday wasn’t questioned due to his career .740 OPS against southpaws versus Young’s .678. But against right-hander Corbin Burnes, it was a wonder why the starting center fielder wasn’t back in the lineup.

“I talked to him a couple days ago. We're just doing a reset on him,” manager Davey Martinez said during his pregame press conference. “He's got a little frustrated just (with) how he is swinging. We saw some things that we wanted to address. He's been working the last two days on his swing, so he'll be back in there tomorrow.”

Young is 1-for-15 (.067) with a double, three walks, two strikeouts and 1-for-3 stolen bases in seven games. He’s only started six of those games, coming in as a pinch-runner Wednesday in Toronto but getting caught stealing for the final out in a loss.

“Well, one, he's diving to home plate,” Martinez said. “He's not seeing the ball away from him. He's not catching up to the ball inside. So we just want to address the issue and get him going.”

TORONTO – The Nationals’ season-opening schedule, with four straight matchups against likely contenders, didn’t look kind on paper. It hasn’t looked kind in practice, either.

The Nats needed a win Sunday to avoid getting swept by the Phillies. They found themselves right back in the same position today against the Blue Jays, with perhaps their first favorable pitching matchup of the young season to hold their hats on.

That matchup didn’t even help. The Nationals couldn’t touch fill-in Toronto starter Easton Lucas, while MacKenzie Gore couldn’t duplicate his efforts from an Opening Day gem. The end result: a lackluster 4-2 loss and a demoralizing three-game sweep at Rogers Centre.

"The at-bats have to get better early in games," manager Davey Martinez said. "We talk about scoring first and trying to get on the starters early. And it just hasn't happened. Late in the games, we've been swinging the bats good. But there's nine innings. We've got to come out swinging from the get-go."

One week into a season of promise, the Nats are 1-5. They’ve gotten decent starting pitching. They’ve hit more homers than in recent years. Keibert Ruiz (who recorded another hit today) and CJ Abrams (who homered again today) have looked great. But they need more than that. And they haven’t gotten more. The challenge doesn’t get any easier, with the Diamondbacks and Dodgers coming to D.C. over the next week.

TORONTO – The Nationals are listing Michael Soroka as their scheduled starter for Sunday’s game against the Diamondbacks, suggesting the right-hander won’t have to miss any time after departing his season debut with a biceps cramp.

Soroka came out of Monday night’s game against the Blue Jays after spiking a slider to the first batter he faced in the bottom of the sixth, his 83rd pitch of the outing. He immediately looked to the dugout and began clinching his fist.

Whatever initial fears the Nats may have had about a potentially serious injury were alleviated when Soroka told them his right biceps muscle cramped on that final pitch, and he didn’t want to take any chances trying to go any further in the game.

He expressed cautious optimism afterward the injury was nothing serious, with manual tests performed by the club’s medical staff revealing no issues. He did acknowledge he would need to throw off a bullpen mound first before knowing for certain he would be fine to make his next scheduled start.

Soroka wasn’t planning to throw off a mound today, merely to play catch in the outfield at Rogers Centre prior to the Nats’ series finale. If everything went well, he would likely throw his bullpen session in D.C. on Thursday (an off-day for the team) or Friday (prior to the series opener against Arizona).

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The Nationals have a quick turnaround from Friday night’s walk-off win over the Mets, facing the Cardinals today at the extra-early time of 12:05 p.m. Davey Martinez decided to let the guys sleep in a little, canceling formal morning workouts and batting practice. And most of the regulars who started Friday night are not in today’s lineup.

DJ Herz should be well-rested, though, and eager to perform better than he did in either of his previous two spring starts. The young lefty has been pulled with two outs in the second each time, having allowed two runs. He’s also walked six in those 3 1/3 combined innings while striking out only two, the exact opposite of what should be expected of him. He’s in a battle with Mitchell Parker and Shinnosuke Ogasawara for the No. 5 starter’s job; this would be a good time for him to step up and make the case for himself.

The Nationals lineup faces veteran left-hander Steven Matz. With many of the regulars sitting, Jacob Young gets a chance to lead off, with Robert Hassell III bumped all the way up to the No. 2 spot.

You can watch today’s game live on MASN, with Bob Carpenter and Kevin Frandsen together on the call for the first time in 2025. The radio broadcast with Charlie Slowes and Dave Jageler, meanwhile, is streaming online only today.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
Where: CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches, West Palm Beach
Gametime: 12:05 p.m. EST
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: Nationals.com, MLB.com
Weather: Sunny, 81 degrees, wind 7 mph out to left field

JUPITER, Fla. – The Nationals are now known for their speed. They made a point to take advantage of their youth and the new rules that encourage basestealing to swipe a major league-best 223 bags last year.

But that young speed manifests itself defensively, too.

The Nats’ projected starting outfield of James Wood in left, Jacob Young in center and Dylan Crews in right boasts three of the fastest guys on the team. And with all three having extensive experience playing center field, manager Davey Martinez feels very confident they have the entire outfield covered.

“When I look at it, all three of them were center fielders. So you potentially have three center fielders playing together, which is pretty awesome,” the skipper said before today’s split-squad doubleheader against the Cardinals and Marlins. “Those guys, I told them I expect them to get to everything. I really do. And they do. They're really good out there when you watch them play together. Jacob does a great job of moving them around. They follow Jacob's suit. They understand that he is the center fielder. He takes control and takes command out there, which is awesome.”

Young’s first full season as a major league center fielder was one of the best defensive seasons the Nats have ever seen.

JUPITER, Fla. – It’s only three games, and it’s only spring training, so take everything with a healthy grain of salt. Now, having made that all-important caveat, here’s what you should know: The Nationals are off to a great start to the Grapefruit League season.

With convincing victories over the Astros, Mets and Marlins, the Nats are 3-0 in exhibition play, having outscored their opponents 31-16. They’re averaging more than 10 runs scored per game. And their starting pitching, while taking on a minimal workload at this early stage, has pitched quite well.

“We’re really preaching getting good pitches to hit,” manager Davey Martinez said. “We’re getting balls in the zone, and we’re making good contact, which is great. That’s what we’re talking about: We’ve got to have better swing decisions. And the last couple days, I’ve seen a lot better decision-making when the ball’s in the zone.”

As a team, the Nationals are batting .321 (second-best in the majors), with a .419 on-base percentage (best in the majors) and .924 OPS (also best in the majors). They’re the only team averaging 10 runs per game. They’re even a perfect 10-for-10 on stolen base attempts.

There’s plenty to like on an individual level, as well. Andres Chaparro is 4-for-7 with a homer and four RBIs. Jacob Young is 3-for-6 with a homer and two steals. Dylan Crews is 3-for-6 with a triple, an RBI, two walks and two steals. Robert Hassell III is 4-for-9 with two doubles, a homer, five RBIs and a steal. Josh Bell is 3-for-7 with a double, two RBIs and a walk. Nathaniel Lowe has reached base in all three of his plate appearances. Alex Call has reached base in five of his.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – It was posted on the Nationals’ official “X” account one week ago, Feb. 14. The caption read: “Jacob but he goes by Jacked ??” The accompanying photo showed Jacob Young in a batting cage, holding his bat behind his head as he looked at someone (A teammate? A coach?) behind and to the right of the camera, which was positioned at a low angle looking up at him in a way that highlighted his surprisingly large biceps.

At last check, the post had generated more than 203,000 views. Which is only slightly more than the number of texts Young received about the photo.

“More than anything else that’s ever been put out there of me,” he said with a laugh.

Was that an accurate depiction, Young was asked, of the size of his arms?

“No,” he said, laughing again. “I think, honestly, good angle. Whoever was on the camera deserves a raise from me.”

Jacob Young, MacKenzie Gore, CJ Abrams and Jake Irvin all performed well enough this season to earn some extra money before the holidays.

Young, Gore, Abrams and Irvin recently were revealed as part of a group of 101 players with less than three years of big league service time who qualified for Major League Baseball’s “pre-arbitration bonus pool.”

The pool was created as part of this collective bargaining agreement to reward players who have yet to reach salary arbitration but played beyond their experience levels. Anyone who finishes in the top five in voting for the MVP or Cy Young awards, first or second for Rookie of the Year or is named to the all-MLB first or second team receives a bonus ranging from $500,000 to $2.5 million. Any money remaining from the $50 million total pool is divided up among other players based on a WAR formula.

None of the Nationals received votes for the aforementioned awards, but four young players did compile enough WAR to qualify for these bonuses.

Young, who ranked 56th out of the 101 pre-arbitration players, received a bonus of $333,239. That’s added to his base rookie salary of $740,000, making his total income for the season $1,073,239.

Jacob Young’s rookie season for the Nationals, while stellar in the field, was not ultimately deemed golden.

Despite holding a statistical advantage over his fellow nominees, Young lost out to Rockies center fielder Brenton Doyle, who earned his second straight Gold Glove Award tonight.

Doyle beat out Young and the Brewers’ Blake Perkins in balloting, which was determined by a combination of an end-of-season vote by National League managers and coaches and a statistical component that accounted for 25 percent of the final tally.

Young had a particularly strong case for the award.

According to Baseball Savant, the 25-year-old finished the season with 20 Outs Above Average, tied with Guardians second baseman Andrés Giménez for most among all major leaguers, regardless of position. His 18 Runs Prevented led all big leaguers and represented the highest number posted in that statistical category since 2019.

Jacob Young is a Gold Glove Award finalist after his first full season in the big leagues, and the rookie center fielder stands a good chance of becoming the Nationals’ first winner of the award in a dozen years.

Young was officially named a finalist today, confirming he finished among the top three among all National League center fielders along with the Rockies’ Brenton Doyle and the Brewers’ Blake Perkins. Voting among NL managers and coaches already took place in late September, which accounts for 75 percent of the final tally. The remaining 25 percent is determined by a statistical component. Winners will be announced Nov. 3.

The Nats have had only two Gold Glove winners in their two decades in D.C.: third baseman Ryan Zimmerman in 2009 and first baseman Adam LaRoche in 2012. Young is well positioned to join that group and become the club’s first outfielder to be honored for defensive excellence.

The 25-year-old debuted late in the 2023 season and showed off some of his skills down the stretch. He actually didn’t make the Opening Day roster this season but was quickly recalled from Triple-A Rochester when Victor Robles suffered a hamstring injury. He wound up taking over the starting center field job and never gave it up, impacting several organizational decisions regarding other, longer-tenured players.

According to Baseball Savant, Young finished the season with 20 Outs Above Average, tied with Guardians second baseman Andrés Giménez for most among all major leaguers, regardless of position. His 18 Runs Prevented led all big leaguers and represented the highest number posted in that statistical category since 2019.

PLAYER REVIEW: JACOB YOUNG

Age on Opening Day 2025: 25

How acquired: Seventh-round pick, 2021 Draft

MLB service time: 1 year, 37 days

2024 salary: $740,000

Go back and peruse some random Nationals lineups from 2022, and you’re likely to find a lot of names who aren’t here anymore, many of them veterans in the waning days of their careers.

Move ahead to 2023, and you’ll find a few more promising young players, the so-called first wave of prospects who either were acquired via trade or drafted and developed from within. You’ll also still find a number of veteran stopgaps who have since departed.

The same was actually true early in 2024. Lest anyone forget, the Nats’ Opening Day lineup included the likes of Jesse Winker, Joey Meneses, Joey Gallo and Eddie Rosario, with Nick Senzel a planned part of that group until he fractured his thumb in pregame warmups.

By season’s end, though, the transformation was finally complete. The Nationals’ regular lineup was built almost entirely with young players, most of them at least potential long-term solutions.

James Wood, Dylan Crews and Jacob Young didn’t make the team out of spring training, but they were everyday players by Game 162. Mitchell Parker and DJ Herz weren’t in the Opening Day rotation, but they were trusted stalwarts before long.

CHICAGO – Though he’s out of the lineup this afternoon, Jacob Young sounded reasonably sure his left shoulder injury won’t prevent him from returning to play for the Nationals soon.

Young, who jammed the shoulder sliding into second base on a stolen base attempt during Thursday night’s 7-6 loss to the Cubs, said he’s still sore, but “it’s nothing crazy.”

“Just diving in the outfield, diving into bases throughout travel ball all the way up to pro ball, stuff like that happens where your shoulder gets put into maybe an uncomfortable position,” he said. “It’s not your throwing shoulder, so it doesn’t affect that at all. You kind of know what it’s going to be like in the morning. It’s going to be sore, maybe not feel great. Then you just give it some time, let the doctors do what they do and get it back to feeling good.”

The Nationals are still waiting for MRI results on Young’s shoulder, so manager Davey Martinez isn’t making any proclamations yet about his status for the rest of this weekend series or next week’s final six games of the season.

For now, Young is sitting this afternoon’s game, with Dylan Crews taking over in center field and Joey Gallo starting in right field.

ATLANTA – There are more promising young players to come, especially the one scheduled to make his major league debut Monday night in D.C. But the Nationals already are awfully young even before Dylan Crews joins them.

Of the nine players in today’s starting lineup, five were rookies. So was the starting pitcher. That made this first time the franchise has started six rookies in a game since 2010, according to Elias Sports. And they added a reliever as well today, bringing the total number to seven.

Sometimes youth has gotten the best of the Nats, who have a penchant for sloppy baserunning, sloppy defense and a lack of clutch hitting. And sometimes it comes together beautifully as it did this afternoon, when DJ Herz tossed five scoreless innings, Drew Millas and Jacob Young contributed clutch hits late and Eduardo Salazar helped bridge the gap to Kyle Finnegan, who notched a four-out save to close out a 5-1 victory over the Braves.

"Everybody's just figuring it out," Herz said. "And it's fun when we put it all together."

In avoiding a weekend sweep at Truist Park, the Nationals also clinched the season series over Atlanta, having gone 7-4 with two games still to go next month on South Capitol Street. It’s the first time they’ve done that since 2017.

PHILADELPHIA – The Nationals needed a win today. Entering this finale against the Phillies, they were losers of four straight and five of their last six. They were also in danger of suffering their eighth sweep of the season, fifth on the road.

It took a total team effort to finally get that elusive win. But they got it as the Nationals escaped Citizens Bank Park with a 6-4 victory in front of 40,677 fans, thanks to Jacob Young’s late sacrifice fly and James Wood’s first pulled home run.

“We put together some good at-bats late," said manager Davey Martinez after the win. "Jacob battling to get a sac fly. And then freakin' Wood crushing a ball. Everybody talks about, 'Pull the ball.' He pulled that one. That's what he can do. He stayed on the ball really well, got his hands through and he smoked it.”

Facing left-handed reliever Matt Strahm, the Nationals loaded the bases in the eighth with a single to left, walk and bunt single. With one out, Young stepped to the plate and surprisingly didn’t square around for the safety squeeze.

Instead, the center fielder swung away and made enough contact on a sinker high above the zone to score the go-ahead run.