Nationals' Andres Chaparro: Goes deep twice in finale
Rotowire
Chaparro went 3-for-4 with a pair of solo home runs in Sunday's 6-4 win over the Mets.
Chaparro led off the third inning with a solo shot off Sean Manaea, cutting Washington's deficit to 4-3, before he put the Nats ahead 5-4 in the fifth with his second homer of the day and 13th this season. Chaparro swung the bat well down the stretch, going 11-for-29 (.379) over his last 10 games. It was a nice year overall for the first baseman, who'll finish with a .268/.364/.530 slash line, 39 RBI and 36 runs scored across 228 plate appearances.
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Nationals' Erik Tolman: Grabs fifth save
Rotowire
Tolman earned the save in Sunday's 6-4 win over the Mets, allowing a walk and no hits while striking out two over 1.1 innings.
Tolman quickly worked his way into a high-leverage role in Washington, after making his MLB debut in late August. He'll finish the year with five saves, a 2.93 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 17:9 K:BB across 15.1 innings. The left-handed Holman will likely be in the mix for a late-inning role again with the Nats in 2027.
Nationals' Jake Irvin: Handed loss in piggyback role Saturday
Rotowire
Irvin (2-10) took the loss Saturday, giving up five runs (four earned) on seven hits and two walks over five innings of relief as the Nationals were downed 7-1 by the Mets. He struck out six.
Piggybacking with Connelly Early in the southpaw's Washington debut, Irvin inherited a 1-0 lead but couldn't make it hold up, serving up seventh-inning homers to A.J. Ewing and Ronny Mauricio. Irvin ends the campaign having lost all six of his decisions since returning from a shoulder strain in late July, stumbling to a 5.73 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 52:26 K:BB over 55 innings in that span while getting tagged for 13 homers.
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Nationals' Connelly Early: Impressive in short Nats debut
Rotowire
Early didn't factor into the decision in Saturday's 7-1 loss to the Mets, allowing just one hit over three scoreless innings. He struck out one without walking a batter.
Making his first appearance as a National after being acquired from the Red Sox in late July for Curtis Mead (wrist), Early was on a strict pitch count after recovering from elbow inflammation that had kept him on the shelf since June 30. The 24-year-old southpaw made the most of his limited workload, firing 21 of 34 pitches for strikes and facing just one batter over the minimum. Early wraps up his season with a 3.33 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 94:34 K:BB through 94.2 innings, and with a healthy offseason he'll head into 2027 as one of the top arms in the Washington rotation alongside Cade Cavalli.
Young isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Mets.
Young will get some rest Saturday after going 2-for-4 during a win in Friday's series opener. While he sits, Daylen Lile, Dylan Crews and James Wood will start across the outfield.
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Nationals' Chase Hampton: Jettisoned from 40-man
Rotowire
The Nationals designated Hampton for assignment Saturday.
Hampton was claimed off waivers from the Yankees on Sept. 12, and he'll now be pushed off the 40-man roster before making his organizational debut. His roster spot will go to Connelly Early (elbow), who returned from the 60-day IL to start Saturday's game against the Mets.
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Nationals' Luis Perales: Sent down to Rochester
Rotowire
The Nationals optioned Perales to Triple-A Rochester on Saturday.
Perales will be kicked out of the Nationals' bullpen to make room on the active roster for Connelly Early (elbow), who was activated from the IL to start Saturday's contest. Perales didn't find much success during his first stint in the majors, allowing 14 earned runs in just 11 innings while recording a 13:13 K:BB.
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Nationals' Connelly Early: Activated for start
Rotowire
The Nationals reinstated Early (elbow) from the 60-day injured list Saturday.
Out since July 1 with left elbow inflammation, Early has since been traded from Boston to Washington and will be making his debut with the Nationals on Saturday. The left-hander pitched just 2.2 innings over the course of two rehab outings and is expected to throw roughly 2-to-3 innings Saturday before handing the ball to Jake Irvin for bulk-relief work. Luis Perales was optioned to Triple-A to make room on the active roster for Early, and Chase Hampton was DFA'd to clear a 40-man spot.
Nationals' Josiah Gray: Records first major-league save Friday
Rotowire
Gray earned the save in Friday's 7-6 win over the Mets, when he issued a walk and struck out a batter in the ninth inning.
Both Jack Sinclair and Yovanny Cruz saw action earlier in Friday's game, and rather than go with Erik Tolman, the Nationals opted to roll with Gray to close things out. Gray needed 18 pitches (10 strikes) to secure the win for Washington, finishing things off by striking out A.J. Ewing. Not only was it the first save of Gray's career, but it was also his first opportunity at a save since making his major-league debut in 2021.
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Nationals' Dylan Crews: Homers, swipes two bags Friday
Rotowire
Crews went 1-for-3 with a solo home run, two steals and two additional runs scored during the Nationals' 7-6 win over the Mets on Friday.
It was the second time in three games that Crews logged two steals, and his solo homer in the seventh ended up being the game-winning run for the Nationals. The 24-year-old outfielder is slashing .224/.290/.375 with 13 steals, 113 home runs, 44 RBI and 54 runs scored across 435 plate appearances this season.
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Nationals' Andrew Alvarez: Fans seven in no-decision
Rotowire
Alvarez did not factor into the decision Friday against the Mets, allowing five runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out seven across 4.2 innings.
Friday was the first time since July 7 against the Astros that Alvarez had given up more than three earned runs in a start, a streak that spanned 12 outings. He gave up runs in three of the five frame he pitched in, including solo home runs to Bo Bichette and Carson Benge in the fifth. It was a bit of a disappointing way to wrap up the 2026 regular season for Alvarez, but the 27-year-old southpaw will end the year with a 3.43 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 114:51 K:BB across 112.2 innings.
Nationals' Connelly Early: Making Nationals debut Saturday
Rotowire
Early (elbow) will be activated from the 60-day injured list and make his Nationals debut with a start Saturday versus the Mets, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.
Early is scheduled to throw 2-to-3 innings before handing things over to Jake Irvin, who will serve in a bulk relief role. The left-handed Early was acquired from the Red Sox at the trade deadline while recovering from left elbow inflammation, an injury that's kept him from appearing in the majors since late June. Early made two rehab starts, logging a total of 2.2 innings while allowing six runs (three earned) with a 4:5 K:BB.
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Nationals' Nasim Nunez: Exiting starting nine
Rotowire
Nunez is not in the lineup for Friday's tilt versus the Mets.
Nunez set a new Nationals record with his 48th and 49th stolen bases in his team's last game Wednesday against the Tigers, but he will begin Friday's series opener on the bench. CJ Abrams will be at shortstop and Jorbit Vivas will handle second base for the Nationals.
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Nationals' Connelly Early: Set to join Washington for final series
Rotowire
Early (elbow) is expected to be activated from the 60-day injured list to make his Nationals debut at some point during this weekend's series versus the Mets, MLB.com reports.
Acquired from the Red Sox back on July 26, Early finally appears ready to join the Nationals following a lengthy recovery from left elbow inflammation. He made his second and final rehab appearance this past Sunday at Triple-A Rochester, yielding three unearned runs over 1.2 innings while tossing 40 pitches. Since Early isn't stretched out enough to handle a traditional starting role, the Nationals could look to have him piggyback either Jake Irvin or DJ Herz, who will start Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
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