WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Trey Lipscomb was the surprise standout of Nationals spring training this time last year. A former third-round pick and top-30 prospect who was invited to major league camp for the first time and was expected just to learn from the experience.

But the Frederick, Md., native did much more than learn. He took that opportunity and ran with it, nearly making the Opening Day roster out of camp. In 21 Grapefruit League games, Lipscomb slashed .400/.455/.540 with a .995 OPS, two doubles, a triple, a home run, seven RBIs, a stolen base and five walks to seven strikeouts, all while playing excellent defense all over the infield.

After a less-than-spectacular spring by Luis García Jr., who needed to prove he deserved his spot on the major league roster, Lipscomb played his way into the conversation for Opening Day.

Ultimately, the Nats decided to stick with García and have Lipscomb start his season at Triple-A Rochester. But then Nick Senzel fractured his thumb on Opening Day in Cincinnati and Lipscomb was on his way to the big leagues for the second game of the season.

What followed was an up-and-down year for the young infielder. Literally.

The Nationals have filled almost every need on their roster this offseason. “Almost” being the key word.

Nathaniel Lowe was acquired to play first base.

Josh Bell was brought back to be the designated hitter and first base backup.

Amed Rosario was signed to add depth as a utility player.

Michael Soroka, Trevor Williams and Shinnosuke Ogasawara were brought in to fill out the rotation.

We’ve finally hit the final stretch of the offseason! Nationals pitchers and catchers report to West Palm Beach on Wednesday, kicking off the 2025 season.

So we’re going to use the remaining days leading up to spring training to preview the top storylines that will play out during camp. And to keep with this team’s overall youth theme, we’ll start with a look at the young players still to come.

At this time last year, all the attention was on the arrivals of James Wood and Dylan Crews, and whether or not they could make the Opening Day roster. They didn’t, but they both found themselves as everyday big leaguers by the end of the regular season.

Who are this year’s top prospects to watch in spring training?

Robert Hassell III and Trey Lipscomb will be back as members of the 40-man roster, with the Nationals also inviting Brady House, Yohandy Morales, Cayden Wallace, Daylen Lile, Andrew Pinckney and Caleb Lomavita to big league camp.

The so-called utility man has always been thought of in somewhat negative terms. If someone plays multiple positions, it’s probably because he’s not good enough to play every day at one position.

While that line of thinking has mostly held true throughout baseball history, there have been some more recent examples of teams treasuring a good player’s versatility. Utility men don’t have to come off the bench. Sometimes they hold regular spots in the lineup, just not at the same position in the field on a day-to-day basis.

And the best of them can be handsomely rewarded for those rare skills. Ben Zobrist made nearly $87 million in career earnings while playing four different positions (shortstop, second base, left field, right field) at least 200 times in the majors, plus occasional work at three other positions (center field, first base, third base).

And now Tommy Edman is the latest utility man to cash in, signing a five-year, $74 million extension with the Dodgers on Friday. Edman, who spent the first five seasons of his career with the Cardinals, was traded to Los Angeles this summer and became a key contributor to a World Series title, winning National League Championship Series MVP honors while starting games at both shortstop and in center field.

Not every team values versatility as much as the Dodgers, but Nationals manager Davey Martinez has always spoken highly of players who can be used all over the field and when possible has preferred to keep at least one on his roster.

If you were asked to predict the Nationals’ Opening Day lineup right now, you could probably rattle off six names without too much fear of being wrong. James Wood, Jacob Young and Dylan Crews figure to return as the starting outfield. CJ Abrams and Luis Garcia Jr. are likely to return as the starting middle infield. Keibert Ruiz is all but certain to start behind the plate.

We know first base is a top priority for the organization this winter, with several prominent free agents available if the Nats are ready to spend big again. And the DH slot could be filled by an outside acquisition, by someone already in the organization or some combination of the two.

But what about third base? That’s where it gets more complicated.

The hot corner has truly been a revolving door around here the last five seasons. From 2014-19, Anthony Rendon played 736 games there. The only other player to appear in more than 34 games there was Yunel Escobar, who took over the position in 2015 when an injury plagued Rendon saw more time at second base.

But since Rendon left for Anaheim following the World Series, the Nationals have searched for and failed to find a permanent replacement at third base. A whopping 19 players have appeared in at least one game there since 2020, only two of them seeing action in more than 100 games: Ildemaro Vargas (126) and Carter Kieboom (114).

PLAYER REVIEW: TREY LIPSCOMB

Age on Opening Day 2025: 24

How acquired: Third round pick, 2022 MLB Draft

MLB service time: 95 days

2024 salary: $740,000

CHICAGO – This wasn’t the season Trey Lipscomb expected. And it’s certainly not the way he expected it to end, with a surprise promotion to the majors for the final week after CJ Abrams’ unexpected, disciplinary demotion.

But here Lipscomb is, getting one last chance to make an impression on the Nationals before season’s end. And he wants to make the most of it and head into the winter feeling good about the way things wrapped up.

“Honestly, just finish strong,” the infielder said. “That’s been my mentality at Triple-A: Finish strong. And I feel like I’ve been able to do that. I feel like the last week of the year, that’s what you want to do.”

This is, remarkably, Lipscomb’s fifth stint in the big leagues this year. He didn’t technically make the Opening Day roster, but he joined the Nats in Cincinnati the next day after Nick Senzel suffered a freak thumb injury during warmups. He spent the next six months bouncing back and forth between the majors and Triple-A, unable to produce enough offensively to stick up here but always on the club’s speed dial when a roster need arose.

His major league totals – a .207/.276/.239 slash line with three doubles, one homer and 11 stolen bases in 205 plate appearances – don’t look great. But his glovework - especially at third base, where he has four Defensive Runs Saved - was top-notch.

Anthony Rendon’s long-awaited return to D.C. over the weekend served as a reminder how lucky the Nationals are not to have re-signed one of the stars of the 2019 World Series run, assuming he would’ve experienced the same injuries and drop in production here as he has in Anaheim.

But it also served as a reminder how the Nats have spent the last five years searching in vain for Rendon’s long-term replacement at third base.

A mindboggling 20 different people have played the hot corner for the franchise since 2020. Some (Carter Kieboom, Trey Lipscomb) were supposed to be the future at the position. Some (Jeimer Candelario) were productive stopgaps who were traded at peak value. Some (Starlin Castro, Maikel Franco, Nick Senzel) were unproductive stopgaps who lost all value during their time here. And some (Ildemaro Vargas, Josh Harrison, Asdrubal Cabrera) were and are still quality utilitymen pressed into more regular playing time because of the struggles of others.

What have they all had in common? An inability to seize the job for themselves and ensure the organization no longer needed to find its third baseman of the future.

The Nationals arguably are in no better shape now at third base than they were five years ago. Sure, there’s a highly touted prospect, a former first round pick, waiting to make his major league debut in the near future. But can anyone say with certainty Brady House will be the next Rendon and not the next Kieboom?

As we get closer to the end of the season, it’s that time of year when the Nationals will bring up some new players to give them an extended chance at the major league level to evaluate for 2025.

Today is one of those days where a new, young player is getting his shot.

Before tonight’s game against the Angels, the Nats recalled infielder José Tena from Triple-A Rochester 12 days after he was acquired as one of the three players included in the Lane Thomas trade with the Guardians.

The 23-year-old native of the Dominican Republic entered the Nats system with some big-league experience, hitting .200 with a .520 OPS in 21 games with Cleveland over the last two seasons. But he went straight to Rochester only to force his way back to the bigs.

In 10 games with the Red Wings, five of Tena’s seven hits went for extra bases with four doubles and a home run.

The Washington Nationals recalled infielder José Tena from Triple-A Rochester and reinstated right-handed pitcher Jordan Weems from the 15-day Injured List on Saturday. In corresponding moves, the club optioned right-handed pitcher Joan Adon and infielder Trey Lipscomb to Triple-A Rochester. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcements.

Tena, 23, was one of three players acquired from the Cleveland Guardians in exchange for Lane Thomas on July 29. He joins the Nationals after hitting .287 with 21 doubles, two triples, 18 home runs, 68 RBI, 34 walks, 15 stolen bases and 60 runs scored in 100 games between Triple-A Columbus and Triple-A Rochester. In 10 games with the Red Wings, five of his seven hits went for extra bases (4 2B, HR). Tena has appeared at shortstop (62 G), second base (18 G), third base (17 G) and designated hitter (2 G) this season.

At the time of the trade, Tena (tey-NAH), led Cleveland’s Minor League system with 110 hits and ranked in home runs (2nd, 17), RBI (3rd, 63), extra-base hits (4th, 36), batting average (4th, .298), slugging percentage (6th, .493) and OPS (6th, .846). He is a career .284/.338/.441 hitter with 113 doubles, 22 triples, 58 home runs, 283 RBI, 156 walks, 65 stolen bases and 310 runs scored in 530 games across six Minor League seasons. Tena earned a Rawlings Minor League Gold Glove in 2021 with High-A Lake County.

Tena made his Major League debut on Aug. 5, 2023 and has appeared in 21 games for the Guardians across two seasons (2023-24). He is 7-for-35 (.200) with two doubles, three RBI, three walks and two runs scored along the way. This marks his second Major League stint of the season, having appeared in three games from June 28 to July 3.

Weems, 31, returns to the active roster after being placed on the Injured List on July 26 with shin splints. He is 1-1 with a 6.59 ERA in 40 games out of Washington’s bullpen this season.

The Nationals are coming off a rough couple of days in which they sat through multiple rain delays with a dramatic comeback only to fall in the 10th inning to the Giants on Thursday then a rare extra-inning win against the Angels on Friday. Last night’s 3-2 win was just the Nats’ fourth in 12 games that have gone to extras, but at least they are no longer tied with the miserable White Sox for last in the majors in such affairs.

Now they turn their attention to tonight’s game. A victory against the Halos on Saturday would give the Nats their second series win in their last three and put them in position for a sweep tomorrow morning. (No, I don’t know why they are keeping tonight’s game as a 6:45 p.m. start before tomorrow’s 11:35 a.m. start nationally on Roku.)

Mitchell Parker was charged with two unearned runs over 6 ⅓ innings last night. A similar outing from Patrick Corbin would be much appreciated tonight, especially with the state of the Nats bullpen up in the air. Yes, Corbin leads the majors with 12 losses this season. And yes, he gave up four early runs in his last outing against the Giants.

But he actually battled back to complete six innings on Monday to give his team a chance. Since the offense only scored one run on the night, Corbin is still left in search of his 100th career win.

The Nats offense would love to get to an early lead against Griffin Canning, who is 4-10 with a 5.10 ERA and 1.414 WHIP in 23 starts this season. With Corbin on the mound and closer Kyle Finnegan likely not available after throwing a combined 57 pitches over the last two nights, the more runs the better off the Angels right-hander.

After a weekend sweep of the Reds that included a series of notable rallies and some long-awaited power displays from a lineup that desperately needed it, the Nationals returned tonight to face the Padres hoping for at least some carryover effect.

Instead, they got the exact opposite. During the course of a lackluster 4-0 loss, they did very little at the plate, squandering the scoring opportunities they had and rarely hitting the ball with any real authority.

Thus did the Nats lose for the first time since the All-Star break, missing a chance to sustain some positive momentum with a tepid showing at the plate against an unheralded opposing pitcher.

Randy Vasquez, a 25-year-old right-hander who has given up a bunch of hits – especially homers – this season, combined with three San Diego relievers to shut out the Nationals on only 102 pitches.

"We hit some balls hard, but we just couldn't get any good swings off," manager Davey Martinez said. "We swung the bats today, but we really didn't work good at-bats."

NEW YORK – James Wood and Trey Lipscomb each took long roads to only end up in their own backyards. The two Nationals prospects both grew up within an hour of D.C. and now they’re teammates for the first time at the major league level.

“This is kinda how it felt all throughout the minors,” Wood said. “We just are doing the same stuff that we do normally, but it's just up here, which is always fun. It's cool.”

Wood and Lipscomb both entered the Nats farm system in 2022, but by different means. Lipscomb, a Frederick, Md., native, was drafted by the Nats in the third round out of the University of Tennessee. Two weeks later, Wood, an Olney, Md., native, was included in the biggest trade in baseball history when he and four other top prospects were shipped to the Nats in exchange for Juan Soto.

The two quickly became teammates at Single-A Fredericksburg and have risen through the system together ever since, making stops at High-Wilmington, Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Rochester before finally making the major leagues together this past week.

“I don't think really much of it has changed to be honest,” Lipscomb said. “I feel like we came up (together). When I first got drafted and he got traded over by the Padres, we were in Low-A Fredericksburg together. We've been working our way all the way up since then. Obviously, last year started at High-A together. And then Double-A. Then obviously, spring training and Triple-A. But it's kind of just been the same. I feel like we've just been the same and just continuing to grow, us being teammates. Not only that, but our friendship together.”

The Nationals wrapped up a week of notable transactions involving the promotion of young players at the expense of struggling veterans with a significant swap at third base, calling up Trey Lipscomb from Triple-A Rochester and designating Nick Senzel for assignment.

Lipscomb will start at the hot corner for today’s game against the Cardinals and will be given the opportunity to hold down that position for the remainder of the season.

“As you can tell, we’ve got the youth movement going on,” manager Davey Martinez said. “And he’s a big part of our future, so we wanted to give him an opportunity to see what he can do.”

Lipscomb, who is making his fourth stint in the majors this season, joins good friend and fellow Maryland native James Wood as well as 26-year-old first baseman Juan Yepez as players called up from Rochester this week, with the Nats injecting youth to bolster a flailing lineup. Senzel joins outfielder Eddie Rosario as players who have been DFA’d this week; Joey Meneses was optioned to Triple-A on Friday.

Lipscomb’s offensive performance was erratic during his first three big league stints. In 38 total games, he hit .237 with a .311 on-base percentage, only two extra-base hits and 10 stolen bases. But aside from his first call-up after Senzel was injured Opening Day, his playing time was inconsistent.

SAN DIEGO – Harold Ramírez walked into the Nationals clubhouse at Petco Park with blue hair and a wide smile. He looked like the only kid ever to be excited on his first day at his new school. It’s because he was back in a major league clubhouse for the first time in three weeks.

The Nationals selected Ramírez’s contract from Triple-A Rochester before opening a three-game series against the Padres. The 29-year-old, who was designated for assignment by the Rays on June 7 and released on June 13, signed a minor league deal with the Nats on June 15 and needed just seven minor league games before joining a big league roster again.

“I really feel very excited to be here in the big leagues to be here with the Nationals,” he said in the visiting dugout after taking his first batting practice with his new team. “I just really want to give my 100 percent and take advantage of this opportunity.”

While not in the starting lineup tonight, he is available off the bench as a right-handed pinch-hitter for manager Davey Martinez, who says Ramírez will get opportunities against lefties.

“We picked up Harold. So he was down with us in Rochester, trying to get him going. He started swinging back really well,” Martinez said. “We needed a right-handed hitter. He's a veteran guy that hits lefties really well. So he's gonna get an opportunity to definitely play against lefties. And also if he starts swinging the bat, I can use him in our lineup. So we're gonna go over here. We wanted to bring him in today. He'll pinch-hit today for us. But get him acclimated and get him in as soon as possible.”

The Nationals and Marlins have played five times so far this season. The Nationals have won all five games. The combined score of those games: 41-17. It’s been a while since we’ve seen the Nats dominate an opponent to this extent. They’ll gladly take it.

The Nationals have pitched well against most clubs this year. They haven’t hit well against everyone, so that makes their offensive output against Miami particularly pleasing. And they’ll look to keep it going today against left-hander Trevor Rogers, who they beat in late April with three runs in five innings. Davey Martinez’s lineup looks a little different against the lefty. Ildemaro Vargas, Drew Millas and Trey Lipscomb are all in there, with Lipscomb starting at third base and Nick Senzel serving as DH for this one.

DJ Herz makes his third career start, his first against the Marlins, and the left-hander will be looking to complete five innings for the first time. With Josiah Gray (who tossed four strong innings in a rehab assignment at Double-A Harrisburg Friday night) inching closer to a return, each of Herz’s starts now become increasingly important as he tries to state his case to stay up here.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs MIAMI MARLINS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 4:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Mostly sunny, 84 degrees, wind 10 mph in from left field

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
RF Lane Thomas
LF Jesse Winker
1B Joey Meneses
2B Ildemaro Vargas
DH Nick Senzel
C Drew Millas
3B Trey Lipscomb
CF Jacob Young

DETROIT – Lane Thomas did say something when Emil Jimenez called a borderline pitch strike three on him in the top of the sixth Thursday afternoon. He said two words, which when combined, can make for quite the insult.

But Thomas insists he wasn’t directing those words at Jimenez and rather uttered them out of frustration at the strike three call. Which is why he couldn’t believe it when Jimenez immediately ejected him from the game.

“Looking back, what I said was nothing that I haven’t said in the past,” he said. “I just thought (the ejection) was a little quick. So I don’t know if he didn’t understand me, or what happened. But I definitely didn’t say anything towards him. That was the frustrating part for me, that it was that quick and not directed at him.”

The first ejection of Thomas’ career made for quite a scene, with Jesse Winker (who was on-deck) jumping in to defend his teammate, and then manager Davey Martinez pleading his case to Jimenez as bench coach Miguel Cairo and third base coach Ricky Gutierrez tried to make sure Thomas and Winker didn’t say or do anything else that could get them into even more trouble.

“I think it was a tough pitch, and I was just frustrated,” Thomas said. “I say stuff all the time, but it’s not directed at anyone. That’s what I told (crew chief Larry Vanover): ‘I don’t talk to you guys like that. I didn’t say anything out of my norm.’”

DETROIT – Trey Lipscomb knows the deal at this point. This isn’t the first time the Nationals have called him up to replace an injured player. It’s not the second time they’ve called him up to replace an injured player.

When Nick Senzel fractured his finger on Opening Day, Lipscomb was brought up from Triple-A Rochester. When Lane Thomas sprained his knee in late April, Lipscomb was brought up. And now with Joey Gallo landing on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain, Lipscomb was recalled and is back in a Nationals uniform tonight.

The versatile rookie isn’t in tonight’s lineup, but he’s prepared to play at any of a number of positions if called upon.

“Wherever you’re in the lineup, just go out and play,” he said. “That’s kind of what I’ve been doing my whole career.”

For now, it appears Lipscomb will be used everywhere in the field. He can start games at third base, giving Senzel a chance to serve as the designated hitter. He can start games at second base when Luis García Jr. needs a day off. He can start games at first base along with Joey Meneses, who suddenly finds himself back in the field regularly with Gallo injured. He can even play left field if needed, something he did once during his most recent stint in Rochester.

DETROIT – The Nationals have a chance tonight to do something they haven’t done in three years, something they haven’t done at any point since embarking on their rebuild: Win five games in a row.

Not since June 2021 has this team enjoyed a five-game winning streak. That month, of course, marked the beginning of the end for the previous iteration of the franchise. A terrible July convinced the front office to tear down the roster and start over, and only now are they starting to see the hard work come to fruition on the field. A five-game winning streak would sure go a long way toward making it feel like they’re making real progress, even if the outcome of one game in June doesn’t really make that much difference.

It'll be Jake Irvin on the mound for the Nats, and he’s been on quite a roll. Over his last four starts, the right-hander sports a 1.48 ERA. 0.863 WHIP and 26 strikeouts in 24 1/3 innings. He’s also completed at least six innings in each outing, which might come in handy tonight given how much was asked of the bullpen during Tuesday’s 10-inning win.

Right-hander Reese Olson starts for the Tigers. He’s been hit hard his last two outing, allowing 13 runs in 9 1/3 innings against the Red Sox and Brewers. He’ll be facing a Nationals lineup that is now without Joey Gallo, who was officially placed on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain. Infielder Trey Lipscomb was recalled from Triple-A Rochester to take Gallo’s spot, but he’ll be coming off the bench tonight.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at DETROIT TIGERS
Where: Comerica Park
Gametime: 6:40 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Partly cloudy, 84 degrees, wind 11 mph in from center field

DETROIT – The Nationals won’t know for sure until later today when they get test results on Joey Gallo’s left hamstring, but the image from the top of the seventh Tuesday night kind of said it all.

Running down the line on a grounder to second, Gallo grabbed his upper left leg as he approached first base. He walked gingerly back to the dugout afterward. And he was subsequently replaced in the field by Joey Meneses for the bottom of the inning.

Barring an unexpected quick healing process, Gallo probably isn’t going to be able to play tonight. And unless they can be sure he’ll be ready to return within the next 24-48 hours, the Nats probably are going to have to place him on the 10-day injured list.

Which is why they were already contemplating late Tuesday night their options for calling a player up from Triple-A Rochester to take his spot on the roster.

“We’re probably going to get somebody on the move,” manager Davey Martinez said. “I don’t know yet. We’ll just see what happens. But we’ll definitely have someone on the move.”