PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. – T.J. White thought this might as well have been a real major league game. Cole Henry was thrilled when Drew Millas successfully got a ball turned into a strike with a formal challenge. Travis Sykora was so amped up, he couldn’t hold a cup of water without spilling it. The first “Spring Breakout” game in Nationals history this

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. – Dean Kremer jogged from the dugout to the mound today for the bottom of the fifth inning. He got another up. And he got the chance because he was cruising. Kremer retired nine batters in a row and he wasn’t done. With Albert Suárez ready in the bullpen, Kremer threw all three of his pitches for strikes and Francisco Mejía fli

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. – Jose A. Ferrer is going to open the season on the injured list with an upper back strain, removing one of the left-handers competing for a spot in the Nationals bullpen with two weeks to go in spring training. Ferrer has a strain of the teres major, a muscle that connects the upper back to the shoulder, and will be shut down

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. – Hello from Mets camp, where tonight the Nationals and Mets meet in Grapefruit League play. But first, we’ve got a special treat: The “Spring Breakout” game featuring top prospects from both clubs. Now, to be fair, we’ve already seen the majority of these guys in big league camp this spring. But it’ll still be fun to see them

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. – Nick Vespi will get a few days off following his two-inning stint yesterday in Bradenton, where he struck out five batters and received some playful compliments from a teammate this morning for being in beast mode. Vespi has allowed two runs and four hits in seven innings over his six spring appearances, and he’s struck out n

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. – Colton Cowser is playing left field and leading off this afternoon against Rays right-hander Naoyuki Uwasawa. Jordan Westburg is playing third base. Heston Kjerstad is in right. Jackson Holliday is starting at shortstop after playing in last night’s “Spring Breakout” game in Bradenton. Connor Norby, who also played last night

Right-hander Seth Johnson was a promising young pitcher in the Tampa Bay Rays farm system. In college he converted from shortstop to the mound at Campbell University and then Tampa Bay drafted him 40th overall in the 2019 season. He had a breakout 2021 season on the Rays' watch at Low-A ball, pitching to an ERA of 2.88 over 23 games but his next se

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The notion that the Nationals signed Joey Gallo to be their primary left fielder, taking advantage not only of his power potential but also his Gold Glove arm? That doesn’t appear to be part of the plan anymore. The combination of Gallo’s sore quad this spring and the recent signings of Eddie Rosario and Jesse Winker have co

SARASOTA, Fla. – The Orioles aren’t close to deciding the 26 players who fit on their Opening Day roster. The majority, perhaps. But too many battles are short of completion. In an eight-man bullpen, Mike Baumann seems to have gone from candidate to solid lock with 4 2/3 scoreless and hitless innings. The only baserunner reached on a walk, and he’s

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Zach Davies hasn’t been in this position in a while, pitching in spring training not to get ready for his team but to make his team. Such is life on a minor league contract, and such is the dilemma facing Davies this month as he tries to convince the Nationals to include him on their Opening Day roster. “In years past, havin