With the Washington Nationals approaching the two week mark in spring training and two roster cuts later, manager Blake Butera is putting the pieces together for his first season with the organization.
Maybe one of the bigger questions that remains unanswered is how the Nationals’ rotation will shake out ahead of Opening Day, along with who will end up being tabbed as the starter when the Nationals take the field to face the Chicago Cubs for the opener on March 26. But in traditional fashion, manager Blake Butera pointed back to his experience in the Rays’ organization to reiterate that the chances things stay the same after Opening Day are slim with a chance to remain “open minded.”
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“I don’t know that anything will be traditional, so to speak, from start to finish. I think we’re always going to be open minded and look for ways to win on the margins, whether that be an opener, whether it be, mixing a lineup up, whether it be, pinch running in certain situations,” Butera said during his appearance on 106.7 on Wednesday. “We’re always going to look for the best opportunity to win a game, win an inning, win a series.”
For now, analyzing the makeup of the 2026 rotation is the biggest question with no “restrictions” on the group.
Josiah Gray made his first appearance in nearly two years when he took the mound on March 2 against the Houston Astros, pitching nearly two innings and allowing two hits in an eventual 2-2 tie.
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“The biggest thing for Jojo is just making sure he’s healthy. He got out there and pitched on the mound our last game, and it was just fun to see him out there,” Butera said of Gray. “The stuff was really good. He was having a blast with a big smile on his face and just, I think he may [have] mentioned [he] forgot what that felt like. It’d been a while since he had gotten to pitching a game and pitching a game where he felt healthy.”
Miles Mikolas took the mound on Thursday for his second appearance with the Nationals for what ended up being a shaky performance, allowing three runs including a two-run shot. He also tossed three strikeouts in his three innings as he remains an Opening Day candidate.
Foster Griffin, meanwhile, made his debut with the team in Wednesday’s exhibition 5-1 win over Venezuela in an encouraging performance. Butera also pointed to Brad Lord, Mitchell Parker and Jake Eder as other strong candidates to fill the rotation, but the development of Cade Cavalli once again drew praise.
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“Cade’s looked unbelievable. His body is unbelievable right now. He’s putting in a ton of work this offseason. He’s healthy. I mean, he just looks like a frontline starter for you and a guy that you want in your rotation, day in and day out.”