Williams goes on IL with flexor strain, Herz to debut tonight

The Nationals rotation, a surprising strength for the club so far this season, is getting a surprising shakeup today.

Trevor Williams has been placed on the 15-day injured list with a flexor muscle strain, opening the door for left-hander DJ Herz to make his major league debut tonight.

Williams was scheduled to face the Mets in the second game of a three-game series, hoping to continue his strong run to begin the season. The 32-year-old right-hander is 5-0 with a 2.22 ERA and 1.076 WHIP through 11 starts, having surrendered only two homers one year after he led the league with 34 homers allowed.

Williams last pitched Thursday in Atlanta and showed no outward signs of physical ailment. He held the Braves to one run over 5 2/3 innings, throwing 95 pitches (his second-highest total of the season).

The flexor muscle strain is the same injury suffered by Josiah Gray in April. Gray is scheduled to face live hitters today for the third time since going on the IL, and if all goes well is expected to begin a minor league rehab assignment after that.

Herz happened to make his last start for Triple-A Rochester on Thursday, so he’s perfectly lined up to take Williams’ spot in the Nationals rotation. The 23-year-old lefty enjoyed his best start of the season to date, striking out 10 with only three baserunners allowed over 5 1/3 innings against St. Paul.

Acquired from the Cubs last summer along with infielder Kevin Made for veteran third baseman Jeimer Candelario, Herz has been targeted to make his major league debut sometime this year. He has produced hefty strikeout numbers in the minors (12.9 per nine innings across five seasons) but has also been plagued by high walk totals (5.9 per nine innings as a professional, 7.3 per nine innings this season).

Herz becomes only the 10th different pitcher to start a game for the Nationals since the beginning of the 2023 season, tied with the Blue Jays for fewest in the majors.